Lord Warumagi's School For Human Hybrids
by Livi-Love
Summary: Sequel to Mikey's World. Raphael wakes up in a strange school where the students aren't exactly normal... they're something called 'Human Hybrids'. Can Raph find out the school's secrets, or will its secrets find him?
1. New York

**So... uh... yeah. This is the sequel to 'Mikey's World', but if you haven't read it, you don't have to in order to understand what's going on. There's maybe like one or two references to some events that happened in it, but that's it though. No extra characters... no romances you should know of... No missing family members... Raph still has all his limbs...**

**This is set in the 2k3 universe, but FF and BttS did not happen.  
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**I'm actually quite nervous posting this. Firstly, it's because of all the awesome writers and stories already here. I won't name them because I'll miss someone out and stuff. D: Secondly, it's because this is chock full of OC's. *le gasp* Thirdly, it's because it has a romance between turtle and an OC, *les gasps* and I write romances as well as a penguin in a hot tub. Fourthly, it focuses on Raph, and I have trouble tapping into his character. This is like practice. XD  
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**I have all the chapters written out, so hopefully the updates shouldn't be too far and in between, and there won't be too many plot holes. :(**

**What else... Well, this chapter is in 1st person, but the rest is in 3rd... mostly.**

**T! M! N! T! Does not belong to me!  
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**New York…

It was exactly like the books in the library had said it was…

Big, dirty and loud.

I sniffed, compressing the can of drink in my hand and throwing it at a wall. It ricocheted off it, smashing into the ground before rolling into the road. I glared at it, before hunching up my shoulders and continuing my journey along the sidewalk. Trust me, given the choice I wouldn't be here. I would be in my warm bed, curled up under my duvet. I wouldn't be scouring the streets at who knows when. The only reason that had forced me to come here was that-

"Oof!"

"Get 'im, Carl!"

I turned my head. The shouts were coming from the alleyway next to me. It was dark, so I couldn't see what was happening, but it doesn't take an idiot to realize that a fight was going on. Now, most people wouldn't even glance twice at a brawl in case they got involved…

But let's face it.

I'm not most people.

I dodged into the alleyway, shuffling down it with my back against the wall. The voices were getting louder, and as an added bonus I could hear the sound of flesh hitting flesh. It was definitely a fight, or else my name wasn't Foxglove.

Please refrain from commenting on my name.

I could see a group of shadowy figures attacking a solitary figure. And by the looks of it, the guy they were fighting was outnumbered. I tried to get a good look at the people, but it was too dark for me to be able to distinguish any of their features. Argh… why did _he _have to prefer going out at night? Life would be so much easier if _he _wasn't so nocturnal. But then again… it must have been hard for him to go out in the day, what with him being a-

"No one goes on our turf, got it?" one of the figures smirked, standing over their fallen enemy. "Especially someone like you."

The guy on the ground seemed to have lost. I curled my lips downwards. I had hoped that _he _was there, fighting all those people. It was in character of him. But losing… it couldn't be the person that I was looking for. It was too pathetic, being beaten up by humans. I suppressed my bitter disappointment as I made my way out of the alleyway by trying to bite through my tongue.

"Ya ain't the boss of me," a male voice growled.

I stopped and turned around.

The figure jumped back up, kicking two of his opponents in the face in the process. Then, he stuck out his hand, beckoning the others to fight him. I smiled to myself and slowly crept back, my footsteps in time with his heavy breathing.

A man sailed past me, narrowly missing me. He landed in a pile on the ground, his left sleeve ripped. I ducked down and examined the strange dark patch on his arm that had caught my attention.

It was a tattoo of a dragon.

Call me someone who points out the obvious, but I immediately knew that he belonged to the 'Purple Dragon' gang. I had done a fair amount of research about this city, but I could still work out by myself that the other dudes with him were Purple Dragons as well. I stood up and went back against the wall, continuing to watch the violent struggle.

The loner was beginning to win now. He had knocked down at least five of the guys. It was pretty impressive, seeing as he wasn't exactly the biggest fighter I had ever got the chance to lay my eyes upon. In fact, now there was a pretty good chance that he would win. He was either a really good fighter or… I felt my heart thump…

He wasn't human.

"That's it," one of the gangsters snarled, crouching on the ground. "No more playin' around, freak."

He raised his arms, aiming something that looked vaguely like the letter 'r'. It was only until after I heard a loud bang that I realized that the 'r' was actually a gun. I saw something long and thin fly through the air, landing in the sole warrior's arm. The person shook slightly and fell flat on his face.

His attacker laughed. "I got 'im! Now lezz take 'im back to the boss. Ooh… my family are gonna eat tonight!"

I had to do something, so I jumped over a Purple Dragon and landed neatly in front of the other men. I wanted to get a closer look at the unconscious short guy, but the idiots were blocking my view of him. I scowled, raising my fists. Then, I tossed back my head so that my ginger hair wasn't in my eyes. I couldn't fight if I couldn't see.

"Where'd the squirt come from?" one of the gangsters sneered. I growled. I wasn't a 'squirt'; I was seventeen for goodness sake.

"Hey, she looks like she wants to fight us!" someone who was out of my range of sight remarked.

"She's a skinny shrimp," another piped up. "Who does she think she's kiddin'?"

"You don't want to mess with me…" I said in a low voice, hoping that I sounded threatening. "You really don't…"

"I think she reckons that she's scarin' us," a nearby gangster chortled.

"Don't say I didn't warn you…" I closed my eyes, a wave of pleasure sweeping over my trembling body as I doubled over. My skin tingled as strands of fur, the same colour as my hair, exploded out of my body and covered me from head to toe. It wasn't visible, but I felt my tail popping out and pressing against the back of my tight jeans. I grinned, raising my hands to flaunt my pointed claws. They stared me in horror, as if I was a bad TV show that was so appalling that they couldn't help but watch. I straightened up, winking one of my hazel eyes.

"Didn't see that coming, did you?"

"What the heck did she turn into?" gasped one of the Purple Dragons, his voice satisfyingly high. He started to say something else, but I swiftly stuck out my fist and knocked him off the ground. The others recovered from their shock and began to jump at me one by one. I cracked my knuckles and spat on the ground, wiggling my hips.

I tried to vary the techniques I used. I did the classic 'punch in the face' on one of them, and I ducked down and tripped another over. I elbowed one in the stomach before banging the back of my head against his face, and I struck gold on another, smiling as he fell to the ground, clutching the front of his ripped jeans. It was too easy taking them all down; the guy from before had done a great job tiring them out. When I was satisfied that they wouldn't be awake for a while, I knelt down next to their victim. A shiver went up my spine as I caught sight of his face.

Just as I had wanted...

Just as I had sought out to find…

He was a giant turtle.

On the internet, I had read that there was a group of them. A lot of the information about them had come from some pretty dodgy sites, but they all said that they lived somewhere in New York… and they were right.

I stroked his cold cheek. He didn't flinch, but I knew he was alive because I felt my hand rise and fall repeatedly as he breathed. My other hand skimmed over his chest as I moved it towards a tall pointy thing in his arm. I gave it a gentle tug and pulled it out.

It was a dart.

I couldn't be sure whether it had poisoned him, or whether it had just knocked him out. I prayed for him to stay alive. He had to, or else it wouldn't have been worth it. I got out my cell phone, dialling a number. I waited, my fur preventing my body from growing too cold.

"Hello?"

I smiled when I heard the voice on the other end. I put on a sickly sweet voice. "Fangy? Is that you?"

"You called me," Fang growled, "so you tell me."

He had a habit of acting cold and tough so he appeared intimidating, and that's what I found endearing about him. But I knew that beneath his cold exterior was a heart that could melt ice. "Fang, I need you to come here ASAP. We can go home now."

He groaned. "We only just got to New York and you want to leave? It was your idea to come here in the first place, even though it's totally against the rules."

"It's important," I told Fang. "I… I found another one."

"Another what?" Fang tried to sound casual and ignorant, but I could hear the curiosity in his voice. He knew what I was talking about… well, he thought he did.

"Another one of us," I whispered for dramatic effect.

There was a pause.

"You're sure?" he asked me quietly.

I laughed. "How many giant turtles are there?"

"There's Blossom," he replied. Good point. "But still… it's odd, especially if they're in the middle of a busy city. And about that... the Lord's going to have our heads when he finds out that we're where the humans can see us. I hope for your life that you ain't in your hybrid form."

"'Course I am." I rolled my eyes, before recalling that he wasn't able to see me. "How else would I be able to beat up fully grown men that used all their brain power in muscle growth?"

"Foxglove, you're a dead girl walking," he moaned. It thrilled me to know that he cared about my existence. "The Lord is going to kill you."

"Look, we'll go back to school with the turtle. I need you to help me sneak him in."

"Use your head," Fang scolded me. "The Lord's going to realize that there's a new student. What's the point of sneaking him in?"

I shuddered. I hadn't seen the Lord get angry before, but I didn't really want to find out what it was like. "Fang… You're right." He was the only person I would admit this to. "Can you at least help me get him into school? I'll take all the blame, if there is any… but the Lord will be happy, trust me."

"Fine," sighed Fang. "Give me your coordinates and I'll go to you."

I smiled. "40, 47, 73, 58. Track my scent. I'm above ground."

He hung up, and I put my cell phone into my pocket. I lowered my face so my snout was touching the turtle's beak. I was careful not to breathe on him too much, in case it woke him up. He wouldn't come nicely if he was awake.

I noticed that he was wearing a mask around his eyes. I couldn't see what colour it was, due to it being so dark, but I could guess what it was.

After a few minutes, a silver haired teenager appeared at the opening of the alleyway. I smiled as he came over, watching him kneel down beside me. He examined the turtle, hiding his surprise very well. I didn't blame him. It was peculiar, seeing a human sized turtle in a human city. I felt my heart flutter as his hand brushed over mine as he checked for a pulse. Then, after discovering that he was indeed alive, he put his hands under the turtle's armpits and lifted him up. Fang stood up in the process, bringing the turtle up with him.

"There we go." Fang stood up completely, the turtle now slung over his shoulder. "He's heavy for such a little guy."

"Blossom ain't much taller," I remarked, getting up too. I held onto the turtle's feet, not wanting Fang to hurt himself. Well, deep down I knew that Fang could easily carry him by himself, but I didn't want to look useless. I reached into my pocket and got out a small silver object that resembled a watch. I pressed the green button on its face, and a few feet in front of us a swirling pool of colours appeared.

Fang tugged the turtle's body and I let myself be pulled along through the portal. I could hear the thugs begin to wake up behind us, but I suspected that the portal had disappeared before they woke up.

The portal was sort of like an ordinary doorway, only you couldn't bang your head or your elbows when you went through it. One second we were in a dodgy alleyway in America, the next we were in the school grounds, thousands of miles away.

Fang lay the turtle on the ground, before shaking violently. Silver fur sprouted all over his body and his face lengthened into a snout. After the transformation, he straightened up, sniffing the air. "The Lord's close."

I shivered. I didn't have as great a smelling ability as him. "How close?"

"Very close."

"Good work, Fang," a voice said coldly.

I spun around, dropping the silver teleporter in surprise. Behind us was a tall pale man, the moonlight bouncing off his bald head. His cloak was camouflaged, so all I could see of him was his pointed face. His dark thin eyebrows furrowed as he examined the two of us, "Foxglove? Fang? What are you doing out here at this late hour?"

… Darn, it was the devil himself.

Fang turned to me. It looked as though I was going to have to explain. "Well, sir, you see… Fang and I went to New York and-"

"New York?" The Lord widened his eyes. "How on Earth did you get there?"

"With the teleporter." I dropped to my knees and held up with the teleporter I had 'borrowed'. To my horror, it was cracked and when I tried to turn it on, it fell apart. I smiled up at him. The Lord was glaring down at me, enraged that I had broken the school's only teleporter, which I wasn't supposed to have in the first place. I gulped, hoping that he would cheer up once he saw who we had brought with us. I pointed at the turtle, "But sir, look who we brought with us."

The Lord fell to his knees, examining the newcomer. I could see his face brightening as he realized who I had found. "Oh my… Could it be… him? The legendary muta-" He coughed suddenly. I wanted to pat him on the back, but I didn't know whether I was allowed to touch him. The Lord looked at us. "He must go inside. Foxglove, Fang, bring him to the infirmary."

We picked up the turtle, draping his arms over our shoulders. The Lord glared at us. "Don't hurt him. He must be in perfect shape."

Walking slowly, Fang and I entered the main building. The Lord walked ahead of us, nearly disappearing from view. We followed him into a corridor, finally bathed in light. Everything wasn't in black and white anymore. I could finally see that the turtle…

Turtle…

Turtle…

I widened my eyes in dismay.

No…

**No…**

We got the wrong one.

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**DUN DUN DUN... What will happen when Raph wakes up? Where is he? Who is this 'the Lord'? What school are they in? Where are my socks? Tune in next time and find out! :D**


	2. New School

**Thank you for the reviews I've gotten so far. I love you both. S2 :D  
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'What the shell?'

The first thing that came to Raphael's attention was the throbbing pain in his arm. He groaned, clutching it tightly in an attempt to cut off the pain.

"He's waking up!" a female voice cried out.

Raph's eyes snapped open at the unfamiliar voice. And, when he looked at the ceiling of the building he was now in, he realized that the voice wasn't the only thing that was new; he had no idea where he was. Raph made to sit up, but before he could the pain in his arm suddenly amplified and he flinched in pain, unable to become upright. He clenched his teeth, moving his head in as many directions as possible in an attempt to get a good look at his surroundings.

A fox-like woman, who looked like she was in her late teens, was an inch from his face when he looked to his right. He recoiled, slipping off the bed and onto the floor. The fox woman crawled over his bed to get a good look at him. Then, when she caught sight of the expression on his face, she grinned. "You look surprised."

"Where…?" Raph sat up, ignoring the pain in his arm. His head felt slightly foggy, but he was awake enough to be aware of the fox woman staring at him. "Where am I?"

"Foxglove, I think you're scaring him with your face," a male voice said. Raph couldn't see what he looked like, but judging by the looks of the fox woman he didn't think that he could look any worse.

"Ha ha." Foxglove rolled her eyes, her skin pink with embarrassment under her fur. "It won't be funny when the Lord comes back and sees the turtle on the floor, Fang."

Raph saw a wolf man appear next to Foxglove. Fang bent forwards and pulled Raph back onto the bed. Then, he straightened up and flexed his muscles. "Piece of cake. I can lift anything, no matter what weight it may have."

"Are ya callin' me fat?" asked Raph angrily, jerking the upper half of his body upwards before falling back down.

Fang widened his eyes in surprise. "He can talk?"

Raph would have chuckled at this statement if he hadn't been so mad about… everything. He had no idea who they were, where they were, and why they were where they were. The pain in his arm was dying down, so he allowed himself to sit up and lean against the wall his bed was against. Foxglove and Fang began watching him curiously, waiting for him to do something else. This made Raph even angrier. "What?"

"What?" repeated Foxglove.

"Quit starin' at me like dat," snarled Raph. "Now, are ya goin' ta tell me why I'm in this bed, or am I gonna have ta make ya tell me?"

"Ooh, he's got attitude," smirked Foxglove, nudging Fang.

"Foxglove!" A thin man in a black cloak walked into the room. Foxglove and Fang ignored Raph completely, falling to their knees and bowing at the newcomer. Raph stared at him, wondering if he was in the first aid room of an anime convention. The man went to Raph's side, kneeling next to him. He looked at Raph apologetically. "I am terribly sorry if my students were rude to you. Please, find it in your heart to forgive them for their ignorance."

Raph was taken aback, but he decided to play along until he understood what was happening. "Uh… sure… But it ain't nothin', really."

"Such politeness…" The man smiled. He grabbed Raph's hands and began shaking them. "But I have gotten ahead of myself. I am Lord Warumagi, owner of the school that we are in now."

"School, huh?" Raph remarked. Having been homeschooled by his rat father, Master Splinter, he had never been in a school before.

Warumagi mistook the surprise in his voice for interest. "Yes yes, this is indeed a school… a phenomenal one at that. There is no other school that quite compares to mine, if I do say so myself."

"Yeah…" Raph looked at Foxglove and Fang out of the corner of his eyes. "I can imagine dat. Uh… if ya don't mind me askin', what's up with yer two 'students'? They're… not human."

"What do you mean, what's up with us?" Foxglove glared at him, offended. "You're a giant turtle, you stupid hypocrite!"

"Enough, Foxglove," said Warumagi sharply, jerking his head at the fox teenager. He turned his head back to Raph slowly, a much softer expression on his face. "You must be severely confused, wondering why you're no longer in New York."

Raph blinked, remembering his last few conscious moments. He growled. "Ya bet I am. Why the shell am I here? What do ya want with me?"

"Ah yes, waking up in a new environment can bring on many questions," Warumagi told him. "Foxglove brought you here, but I cannot imagine why. I declare a late midnight feast, where we can discuss what the future holds. I dare say you are hungry. Come, the three of you." He left the room immediately, not bothering to look over his shoulder to make sure that they were following him.

As soon as Warumagi had left the room, Fang rounded on Foxglove, poking her chest angrily. "The Lord doesn't get why you brought the turtle here and neither do I. You said he would be pleased... and did you hear what he said? He ain't got a clue why you did what you did." He lowered his eyes, storming out of the room. "And if the Lord expels us, I swear I'm gonna make you pay."

"He won't!" Foxglove called after him, her ears drooping. She added in a hushed tone, "He can't."

"Hey… Foxglove?" said Raph, getting slowly to his feet. "That's yer name, right?"

"Right," stated Foxglove coldly.

"Don't get mad at me 'cos yer boyfriend's ticked off," replied Raph, losing most of the sympathy he had for her. He clenched his fists, rubbing them together in a bid to get rid of his frustration. "I didn't ask ya to take me here. I was fine by myself until-"

"Until you got hit by that dart and fell unconscious!" finished Foxglove heatedly. "Those creeps would have given you to their boss if I hadn't come along. You're so ungrateful."

"Alright! I'm grateful ya saved me back there," admitted Raph, though he didn't sound grateful at all. "But I ain't happy dat ya dragged me to this freaky school of yers afterwards. Why couldn't ya have left me to wake up?"

"I didn't know how long you would be unconscious for." Foxglove shrugged, calming down. "Look, I have my reasons. The Lord is pleased to see you! When we brought you here, he smiled. He never smiles. He's usually strict and unforgiving, but… Come on, I'll take you to the lunch hall."

Raph didn't want to follow her; he wanted to find a way out and go back home, but he didn't really have much of a choice. He didn't know where the school was, and he certainly didn't know how to return home. As he passed through the door, he kicked the doorframe. He was going to go along with all this and see what happened… for now.

Raph tried to count the number of doors they passed, hoping that it would pass the time, but he found himself losing interest at fifteen. He was contemplating whether he should try and find a phone booth when he found himself in a grand, high-ceilinged room. Raph whistled in approval at the hundreds of tables that had been pushed together to give the impression that there was only one table. At the far end sat Lord Warumagi, who was drinking from a silver cup. Fang was sitting next to him, looking into space. Foxglove motioned to Raph, and the pair joined the other two. Foxglove made to sit next to Fang, but the disgruntled wolf person put his hand on the chair beside him. Foxglove grabbed Raph's hand and the two went round the table, sitting down next to Lord Warumagi.

"Now..." Warumagi clapped his hands. "Katrina, serve my guests some refreshments. Something hot; they've been in the cold for a while."

A young girl, who Raph hadn't noticed up until then, nodded and quickly departed from the room. Raph pointed after her. "Who is she, yer servant?"

"You could put it that way," answered Warumagi. He leaned forwards, wanting to change the topic. "Now that you know our names, I think that we should know what your name is. It will make things more comfortable."

"I'm Raphael," shrugged Raph, watching the servant girl, Katrina, re-enter the room with a huge tray of snacks. She couldn't have been more than about eleven years old, judging by her appearance. She looked far too fragile to be carrying such a large tray, but the other three didn't seem to care. Raph got off his chair and took it from her. There was no way that he was going to let Katrina struggle with it. Warumagi raised his eyebrows as he watched Raph place the tray onto the table, as if he hadn't expected him to help her.

He placed his cup onto the table. "Raphael… that is an interesting name, I must say. Have you got any family? They must be wondering where you are."

"Yeah," replied Raph. He wondered what time it was. It had to be way past midnight, which was when he was supposed to be back home. "I have to go home now. Thanks for all the nice hospitality and stuff, but Sensei's gonna kill me if I'm late home from my patrol run. Where's the exit?"

"Go?" Lord Warumagi exclaimed, surprised. "You simply cannot _go_, Raphael. Why, the very thought chills me. You cannot just _leave._"

"What?" shouted Raph. Warumagi raised his eyebrows once more. "Ya can't just keep me here. I have a family back home, who'll be wonderin' where I am."

"Yeah, can't he go?" piped up Fang. "We've already been expelled 'cos of him."

"Don't be daft, Fang." Warumagi laughed merrily. "Where ever did you get that silly notion from? I do not know why Foxglove felt compelled to bring him here, but I must say that I am pleased that she did. Raphael, I insist that you stay here… at least for the night. I will inform your sensei. Now feast!"

Raph reluctantly took a piece of pizza from the centre of the table. He didn't want to be there at all, but he didn't see what he could do about it. He wasn't sure if he could do anything if they made him stay there forever. Sure, he could start a fight and demand to go home, but he wasn't a match for however many students there were. Raph chewed it slowly, before taking a large mouthful. He was suddenly starving, and soon he was gulping down his glass of hot chocolate. Warumagi watched him, smiling faintly.

After they had eaten until they couldn't eat any more, Warumagi said, "Now I think it's time for bed. Foxglove, Fang, you can go to your rooms. Katrina, please take Raph to Room 95. I believe it's unoccupied."

As Raph was led out of the room, he heard Fang remark, "That was the best meal we've ever had, and it was only a snack!"

Raph waited until the others were far behind them before smirking at Katrina, "So... Yer their servant, huh?"

"I am only Lord Warumagi's," Katrina replied, walking in front of him. Her long blonde hair swung from side to side like a metronome. Raph watched it, entranced. After ten seconds, he realized that he was being distracted and tore his eyes away from her.

"Good thin', 'cos those two punks from earlier would be rubbish masters," Raph told her, trying to lighten the mood. It was dark and depressing in the corridor they were walking through. Katrina didn't answer, so Raph tried to make conversation once more. "What animal do ya turn into? A cat?"

"I am not a Human Hybrid," stated Katrina, either not understanding the pun or purposely choosing to ignore it. She sounded offended.

Raph stopped walking for a moment. "Uh… what did ya call them?"

"Human Hybrids," repeated Katrina, stopping as well and facing him. Her light blue eyes closed for a few seconds. "It is very complicated and I do not have the time to discuss it with you. I expect the Lord will talk to you about them in more depth in the morning."

"Hey, yer pretty serious for an eleven year old," commented Raph.

Katrina glared at him, her face pink with humiliation. "I am fourteen, if you must know."

"Geez, sorry," grumbled Raph, refusing to make any more conversation with her.

He stalked after her with his arms crossed. Bored, he stared at the paintings that hung on the walls either side of him. Most of them were of Lord Warumagi, which made Raph think to himself, 'Big ego much?' However, he was rarely alone in the paintings. Sometimes he was accompanied by a young woman with bright red hair, and other times he was with her and a young child, who had very similar hair to whom he presumed was her mother. He guessed that Lord Warumagi was related to them, and judging by the amount of portraits, Raph could tell that he loved them very much. He couldn't think of another reason as to why he would have so many.

"That's the late Mistress Warumagi and their daughter," piped up Katrina, gesticulating towards the never-ending row of paintings.

"What, she's dead?" exclaimed Raph, referring to the mother. She looked like she was only in her late twenties or early thirties. It was hard to believe someone who looked so beautiful and innocent was dead.

"It is said that they're both dead," commented Katrina, shaking her head pityingly at the paintings.

"Both of them?" Raph turned his head and widened his eyes. "But… both of them? For real? Geez… poor guy… Do ya know how they… ya know?" He felt sorry for Warumagi.

Katrina shook her head sadly. "He doesn't talk about them."

Raph gave her a cynical look. "Not even to his slave?"

"Not even to his slave," Katrina murmured, stopping outside a polished wooden door. "Here's where you will stay for the night. Then, you will talk to Lord Warumagi about what will happen to you."

"I thought I was goin' home."

"He will try and make you stay," Katrina said and she opened the door, bowing to Raph as he went in.

The room was very grand, especially when you considered that it was a guest room. The walls were painted sunshine yellow, while the carpet was a royal red. It was a palace compared to any of the places he had stayed in before. Raph took off his mask and placed it on the carpet. His mask looked filthy against its flawless cleanliness. He quickly scrunched up his mask and threw it on the pillow that was on his vast bed, before falling onto it. He squirmed a little, surprised at how soft it was, but he managed to sit up and look back at Katrina. She was watching him, still in a bowing position, gazing at him through her wispy blonde hair.

"I have only one thing to say to you," she said.

"Yeah, what?" asked Raph, crossing his legs over and putting his hands behind his head. His sais were on his belt, in case someone tried to attack him in the night.

"Please…" She stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. Raph was startled to see fear in her eyes. "Once the morning comes... run. Run away and never come back. Run while you still can…" She backed out of the room, firmly closing the door.

Raph didn't avert his gaze after she left. Instead, he began thinking about what she had said.

He decided that he might take up Lord Warumagi's invitation after all.

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**Why did Foxglove want to bring Raph back with her? How did Warumagi's family die? Why does Katrina want Raph to go? Will he get home? Will either of the two females introduced become his girlfriend? WHERE ARE MY SOCKS? Find out, sooner or later. ;D**


	3. New Acquaintances

**Thanks for the reviews. :) In case you didn't know, this is based on the 2k3 series. I'll put this in the 1st chapter.**

**Mikey's World reference: When Raph mentions 'Venus', it's the 'Venus' they met in that fanfic. It's a long story, but basically 'Venus' turned out to be one of the tmnt pretending to be a girl turtle.**

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**Raphael got out of his bed in the early hours of the morning, when the first rays of morning sunlight were creeping in through the room's clear window. He had hardly slept that night, but he was as awake as he was halfway through the day. His mind had refused to rest, forcing him to reflect on the previous day's event. He didn't understand why Warumagi would want to try and persuade him to stay, assuming that Katrina had been telling the truth. Warumagi had a whole load of Human whatevers; it wasn't as though he needed him.

Raph searched for his mask, thinking for a horrifying second that he had lost it. He tossed himself out of his bed, before nearly tripping over a small table. His knee banged into one of its legs, and he was glad that he had forgotten to take off his knee pads the night before. He growled, casually sweeping his gaze over the table. He saw red and did a double take.

Not only was his mask on the table, cleaned and ironed, but his sai were on it as well, also clean. He blinked, picking up his mask and putting it on slowly. Someone must have come into his room and taken them from his bed while he had been sleeping for a small amount of time. Still, he didn't understand how they could have returned his things without him seeing.

Something else that Raph didn't understand was what he was expected to do. What time was he supposed to see Lord Warumagi? Was he supposed to find him? Raph sighed, walking towards the door.

"The Lord wants you to stay here."

Raph picked up his sai and spun them around wildly, his eyes unsuccessfully scanning the room for the source of the voice. Raph stepped forwards, his foot slamming against the carpet. "Where are ya? Come out!"

A pair of black marble-like eyes faded into view, a few inches from his face. Raph jumped back in surprise, falling back onto his bed. The eyes had a humanoid body now, though it had a long tail and was a swamp green colour. Its body was covered with thousands of tiny little scales, all slightly different shades. The creature's body looked like a mosaic. It grinned, sticking out its tongue cheekily. "Did I scare you?"

"No," snapped Raph, getting off his bed. "Ya just took me by surprise. What the shell do ya think ya doin'?"

"Making sure that you say here," the green thing said in a male voice. He leaned closer to Raph. Then, he reached out his hand and pinched his face. Raph yelled out, kicking the green thing in surprise.

He rubbed his cheek with the back of his hand. "What was dat for?"

"I was just making sure that you were still here," the green thing said, grinning like crazy. It was as if he hadn't felt the kick. "I'm a chameleon. Cool, isn't it?"

"Yeah, real cool. Did ya have to yank at my face so hard?" asked Raph, glaring at him.

"No, but it was fun!" the green chameleon teenager cackled, falling to the ground and rolling on his back. Raph, to his displeasure, suddenly realized that he was an awful lot like Michelangelo. Both were annoying and both were green. The green chameleon person sat up, gasping for breath. Then, he got to his feet and stuck out his hand. "You're really grumpy, you know. I'm Charles. What's your name?"

"Get lost." Raph got off the bed and shoved Charles to the side, before leaving the room.

"Okay. See you later, 'Get lost!'" called Charles, sniggering. When Raph was gone, he rubbed his face, wincing. He hadn't expected him to be such a strong kicker.

Raph was fully aware that he didn't know the layout of the building, but he refused to be stuck in some stranger's room with an idiot until Warumagi decided to show up. He had considered staying there for a bit, because the place had made him curious, but in less than five minutes he had changed his mind. Raph told himself that he would tell the first creature he came across to inform Warumagi that he was going home, whether he wanted him to or not. He was prepared to force him to let him leave. He would-

Raph crashed into someone, knocking him and the person to the floor. He groaned, opening his eyes slowly. Then, he gasped slightly and widened his eyes completely.

His victim was a turtle, just like him, but it wasn't one of his brothers. The only other mutant turtle he had met was Venus, but even then she wasn't exactly a new mutant turtle.

"I'm so sorry!" The turtle was female, judging by her voice. She grabbed Raph's hands and helped him up gently, Raph doing most of the work. Still, it had been a nice gesture. "I should have been paying attention to where I was going…" She blinked at him, taking in Raph's appearance. "Oh wow! You're a Human Hybrid, just like me."

"I ain't one of them." Raph shrugged. Well, he didn't think he was.

"Oh!" The turtle shook her head, smiling to herself. "Silly me… Foxglove told me about you last night... well, she told Mona, but I heard her... I thought she was making you up, trying to spread a rumour around to make Fang respect her more. But she actually left the school and found you! That's so cool. Hey, are you going to the lunch hall? They'll have started serving breakfast by now."

"I dun-" She pulled Raph along as she began walking, not waiting for him to finish speaking. He glanced at one of the portraits hanging on the wall. Warumagi's daughter smiled kindly at him. He rolled his eyes. He yanked his arm out of the turtle's grasp, grumbling, but followed her. Hopefully, the turtle would lead him to Warumagi.

"I'm Blossom, by the way," the turtle said. "You must be Raphael. Foxglove said that you were called Raphael, but she didn't say anything about you being so handso- Uh... I mean, nice. Yeah, nice."

She giggled nervously.

Raph didn't say anything. He was beginning to question whether the students had all been cloned from Mikey, because he couldn't think of another explanation as to why they all talked so much. He grunted in reply, suddenly wanting to enter the lunch hall. He wondered whether the students used the same room that he had used yesterday, or whether they ate somewhere else. It had seemed a bit too fancy to be a mere 'lunch hall'. Raph's stomach growled, reminding him that it was time for his breakfast.

"Hungry are we?" Blossom giggled. "Well, you're in luck. We're here!"

It turned out that they did use the same lunch hall, except that the collection of tables were littered around the room. Blossom led him to the end of a line, giving him a tray. Raph ignored her, looking around in the hope that Warumagi was there as well. Blossom pretended that she was examining something on the palm of her hand, but her eyes were on the other turtle. When the line shortened, Raph remained where he was. She smiled, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Come on Mr Curious, it's our turn to get breakfast," she said, going over to the serving hatch. Raph sighed before following her reluctantly. He couldn't go home without Warumagi, no matter how much he wanted to. Disappointed, Raph put a piece of toast on his plate and sat down at a table. Blossom sat next to him, her plate jam-packed with various foods. She looked at Raph's nearly empty plate and spooned some of her fried egg onto it. "Here you go. You don't want to become all scrawny."

"Whatever," mumbled Raph, staring around the room.

"What's the matter?" asked Blossom, suddenly looking as miserable as he did. "Don't you like eggs? You can have some bacon if you want. I don't mind… just don't look so sad."

"It ain't dat." Raph put his elbows on the table, resting his chin on his hands. "I just need ta see dat Warumagi guy so I can go home. This place ain't... cut out for me."

That was an understatement.

"Oh." Blossom looked at her tray before pushing it away. She frowned for a second, but soon returned to her bright sunshiny self. "He has his own private place to eat, but don't worry! He does the weekly announcements in his office. That's where he'll be. In his office."

Raph's eyes lit up. "For real?"

"Yep!" Blossom stuck out her chin, noticing his change of mood. "He does the announcements and says who graduates."

"Graduates?" Raph repeated, not understanding. "What do ya-"

He covered his ears, hearing a strange crackling sound. The room fell silent, everyone except Raph's head flicking towards a speaker hanging from the top west corner of the room. Raph poked Blossom's forearm. "What's happenin'?"

"The Lord's going to say who graduates this week. It used to be every few months, but now it's a lot more frequent," whispered Blossom excitedly, "Oh, I hope it's me!"

"What happens if it's you?" queried Raph, talking quietly. The room was too silent for him to want too speak loudly.

"The Lord says that it's a great honour," explained Blossom. "He says-"

"Good morning, students," the speaker boomed. "It's me, Lord Warumagi. Now, first things first. I'm sure you're aware that we have a new pupil with us. His name is Raphael, and I hope that you make him feel welcome."

"Pupil?" shouted Raph, standing up and slamming his fists against the table. Blossom's glass of orange juice toppled over. She squeaked, tugging his arm in an attempt to get him to sit down. "I ain't no pupil."

"Raphael!" hissed Blossom, gazing around the room uncomfortably. Everyone was staring at them. "You're drawing attention to yourself."

"Now it's the moment you've all been waiting for," Warumagi said in a singsong voice. All eyes left the pair of turtles. "It's time for me to say who graduates today. So… this week, the lucky Human Hybrid is…" He paused dramatically for effect.

You could have heard a feather drop in the room. Raph, ticked off by Warumagi's earlier assumption, yawned loudly. Blossom hid behind her hands, hoping that no one was looking at them.

"… King!" he finished. Blossom groaned along with all the other students.

A lion Human Hybrid stood up, nodding mildly at the cheers that had replaced the disappointed moans. Blossom beamed, standing up and waving wildly. "Yay King!" She gestured to Raph. "Come on, Raphael. Let's go tell him how happy we are!"

They walked through a crowd of students that had surrounded King. Blossom asked people politely to move, but there was too much noise for any of the words she said to be audible. Raph shook his head at her, before barging into whoever stood in his way. Blossom jogged after him, saying sorry to his disgruntled victims. When she caught up with Raph, she found that King was in full view.

Raph nudged her and said at the top of his voice, "Does this sort of celebration happen every week?"

If it did, they were very easily entertained creatures.

"Not really," answered Blossom loudly, trying to make herself heard over the dozens of voices surrounding them. "It's just that King's the best student in the school. We've been waiting for this moment since forever!" She sighed before adding, "I'm going to miss him."

"So… when ya graduate, do ya leave the school forever?" asked Raph.

"Yeah," said Blossom, lowering her voice as the noise died down. "It's sad, but happy at the same time."

"Weird combination of feelin's," commented Raph, finishing his sentence as King began to speak.

"You've all been wonderful friends," King said, waving his hands at his peers. "I would never have gotten anywhere without you… you have helped me unleash my full potential, and now I have been chosen by the Lord to leave. I shall miss you all." The crowd parted so he could leave the lunch hall. He reached the exit, waved again, and disappeared through it. Everyone slowly returned to their seats, murmuring.

"Where'd he go?" asked Raph, not moving from where he was standing.

"He goes to the Lord's office," Blossom said, "and… well, I don't know what happens to him _after _that. He just goes. Maybe there's another school for advanced students. I don't know. It's been like that since I started," She waved her arms madly, distracted by something else. "Foxglove!" she called, hoping on one foot. "Come eat with us!"

Foxglove, who had been walking next to Fang, turned her head. She rolled her eyes. "_We _don't sit with losers."

"Then it's good we're not," smirked Fang, approaching Blossom and Raph. "Foxglove, bring our food over."

They all went and sat down at the table Raph and Blossom had been situated before, Fang sitting on the other side of Raph. Foxglove, seeing that there wasn't a spare seat next to Fang, settled herself opposite him. She put the trays onto the table vehemently, spilling some of the food in the process. Fang didn't say anything, taking a chicken leg and chewing it noisily.

"Ya have chicken for breakfast?" said Raph questioningly. "I mean, Mikey has pizza but he's a freak."

"Mikey?" Blossom tilted her head to one side imploringly. "Who is Mikey?"

"One of my brothers," said Raph, feeling something ping in his chest. He was actually beginning to miss Mikey. He missed Master Splinter, Leonardo, Donatello, April, Casey…

"You'll see him soon," Blossom told Raph, as if she had read his thoughts. She patted his hand. "I'm sure the Lord will…"

"Blossom."

Blossom jumped to her feet, bowing. Foxglove and Fang didn't move, having not been addressed. Raph turned his head, his eyes falling onto the man he had been trying to find all morning. Warumagi pointed upwards and Blossom stood up straight. "Sir, what have I done to attract your attention?"

"I noticed that you have made friends with Raphael," Warumagi said warmly, "as well as Foxglove and Fang. Raphael, it is nice to see that you are settling in so well."

"Look, I ain't stayin' here," Raph told him, stopping Warumagi from getting any ideas. "It was nice stayin' here for the night and stuff, but-"

"Ah yes." Lord Warumagi gestured to Raph to come with him. "I want to talk to you in my office."

"See you later Raphael." Fang nodded at him, getting up from the table. "Hey Foxglove, be a good girl and put our trays away." He walked out of the lunch hall without looking back once. Foxglove narrowed her eyes at his back, growling.

Blossom started to leave when Foxglove elbowed her as she got up from the table. Foxglove snarled at her, "You clear up, nerd."

Raph made to help her, but Warumagi shook his head. "Blossom will be fine. Now come with me so we can talk."

Grudgingly, Raph followed him out of the lunch hall. The students were leaving the room as well, but were heading somewhere else. Raph noticed that they all bowed to Warumagi whenever his eyes strayed to what they thought was them, however Raph could see that his eyes were gazing at the paintings decorating the wall. Halfway along a particularly long corridor, they broke away from the river of students and went down another corridor. Warumagi got out a key and unlocked the door at the far end, leading the way through it.

If Raph had thought there were hundreds of paintings before (which he rightfully had), then this corridor contained thousands. Raph could genuinely not see any blank areas of wall, which gave the impression that the hallway had 'Warumagi's family' wallpaper. At the end of the corridor was a door, which opened easily. Warumagi stepped inside, and the red-masked turtle followed him in.

The office wasn't big, but it was certainly cosy. There was a sandy coloured desk with a dark blood red chair hidden behind it. Light shone through the blinds hanging in front of the window, and Raph had to move so the sun didn't blind him. At the back of the office was Katrina, who was standing unusually still. Warumagi sat down behind the desk, waiting for Raph to sit. He looked around, trying to see where he could sit, before discovering a matching chair three feet in front of the desk. Raph settled himself onto it, waiting to hear if Warumagi would try to persuade him to stay.

"Do you want a drink?" asked Warumagi. "Katrina can get you one if you are thirsty. Katrina, get us something to drink."

"I had somethin' to drink at breakfast," lied Raph, wary. "Look… Lord Warumagi, I appreciate what ya doin' but I have to go home. Ya can't enrol me here 'cos I can't stay. I have to get back to my family."

Katrina nodded, before pretending to stretch her neck. Then, she got out a tray of drinks and put it on Warumagi's desk. He took on of them and drank it slowly.

"I cannot force you to stay," said Warumagi, "and I am not planning on doing so." He angled his head so that Raph could see up his pointed nose. "But I am afraid that you cannot leave, unfortunately, no matter how much we both want you to."

Katrina's eyes flickered. Raph raised his brow, trying to keep calm. If he offended Warumagi, he definitely wouldn't be allowed to leave. "Oh yeah? Why's dat?"

Warumagi leaned forwards, resting his elbows against his desk. "Foxglove borrowed my teleporter last night; however, when she returned with you, she broke it. Without it, nobody can enter this school… and nobody can leave."

"What does a 'teleporter' do?" asked Raph.

"It's like a watch, only instead of telling the time, it allows you to teleport to different locations. Seeing as this school is far away from humans, it's the only way to leave this school and go somewhere else," he explained, "So, if our only one is broken, no one can leave this school."

Raph boggled his eyes at him. "Ya only have one? Yer not very well prepared, are ya?"

"Well…" Warumagi looked him in the eye. "No, I'm not. I didn't expect it to be taken out of my office. I will have to get Wol to make another one."

"How long will dat take?" queried Raph suspiciously.

"A few weeks, perhaps."

"No way." Raph laughed sardonically. "No bleedin' way."

"I'm sorry, but you and I don't have any choice. Katrina has a built in teleporter, which allows her to leave the grounds, so she can deliver any letters you wish to send to your family," Warumagi said coldly. He sipped his drink silently. He drained it before throwing it at Katrina. She jumped up and caught it without much effort, as if she did it on a regular basis. "You start lessons in the morning. You may leave. Katrina, take him to his room."

Raph followed her out, raging. If he kicked up a fuss, Warumagi would refuse to build a new teleporter. The man was good, Raph admitted to himself. He turned his head as the door closed, watching the Lord go through a door that was at the back of the room.

But not good enough.

* * *

**I still can't find my socks. :(**


	4. New Perspective

**Thank you so far for the encouraging reviews. :D**

* * *

"That's just great!" groaned Raph. "I'm stuck here. The guys are gonna be wonderin' why I didn't come back last night."

"You can always write to them," said Katrina, trying to make Raph feel better. "I'm able to leave the premises. I would be more than happy to deliver letters to your family."

Raph threw his arms up. "Yeah, that makes me feel so much better. I can see their stinkin' writin'. So what? It ain't the same as seein' their faces."

"It's better than nothing," Katrina murmured, distracting herself by looking at the paintings on the walls. She shuddered, averting her gaze from them. Raph could see goose bumps on her arms. He looked at the portraits of Warumagi's family, but he couldn't see anything disturbing about them. They were just like they were yesterday; bright and unmoving. Actually, when Raph thought about it, they were kind of creepy.

"Why are ya shakin' like dat?" he asked her. "Ya said dat ya don't know how they died."

She nodded. "I don't know. It's just… it must be horrible, what happened to them, if he doesn't want to talk about it. He's told me a lot of things, but never has he told me about them."

"Hey, Katrina, ya said dat Warumagi would tell me what Human… Hybrids were," he said slowly. "But he didn't."

"Really?" Katrina looked mildly surprised, but her expression became blank very quickly. "It must have slipped his mind, then."

"So what are they?" he enquired. "They look like animals, only they're human shaped. Dat's all I know."

"It's quite complicated, but I will try to explain," she told him. "Human Hybrids start their lives as normal… animals. However, a gene in their body causes their body to mutate and they become what you see now. They have the ability to turn into a human or a Human Hybrid… the form they're in now… on their own free will. The Human Hybrid form is much more powerful than the human form, but the human form is more widely accepted in the outside world. I can't go any deeper than that, because my knowledge about it is rather vague. If you have any questions, you should ask the Lord. He's the one who told me this."

"So…" Raph scratched his arm left elbow. "Warumagi says I'm gonna start takin' lessons tomorrow. What does he mean? Will I have to go to classes and do homework or what? I didn't see one… but in case today is special or somethin'… There isn't a uniform, right? 'Cos I ain't wearin' a tie."

"There is no uniform," Katrina told him, over Raph's sigh of relief. "Within the school grounds, all Human Hybrids must be in hybrid form for security reasons. The Hybrids vary too much, so tailored uniforms would be required for very student. Also, yes there is homework but there isn't a lot of it."

"Do I have to wear anythin'?" asked Raph, slightly suspicious. "'Cos I didn't bring any clothes with me when I was kidnapped here."

He didn't want to wear any of the Lord's clothes. He didn't really want to resemble the Grim Reaper.

"You don't have to," replied Katrina. "You can wear whatever you want, even if whatever you want is nothing. Most of the students don't wear any clothes, seeing as they are inconvenient for them to wear. Typically, they only tend to wear clothes on certain occasions."

"Like when they're sneakin' out of the school?"

"It wasn't the example I was thinking of… but yes. Like then."

"Are there any important rules I should know about?"

"You must be in your room by nine o'clock every night, and the usual expectations in regards to your behaviour."

"Okay. So… what are the lessons like?"

"You go to the lecturing hall and sit behind one of the desks. Your teacher will talk and you have to take notes about what they're saying. There are practical lessons where you do obstacle courses and sport, but they are only weekly. Most of the lessons will be in the hall."

"Cool," said Raph, even though he didn't think the situation could be in any way that word. It wasn't cool, being isolated from his family for a few weeks. It wasn't cool, being stuck in a place he was unfamiliar with. It wasn't cool, enrolling at a strange school with even stranger students.

He wasn't exactly what you called 'academic'.He couldn't do maths well. He couldn't write essays at all. He could fight and mess around with motorcycles and be a ninja… but he doubted that was in the syllabus. He couldn't use any of his skills in normal lessons. Splinter had left them to learn about these sorts of things by themselves after they had turned nine (for Splinter's knowledge of maths and science had been rather limited), and Raph hadn't exactly studied those subjects afterwards… at all.

"It's a shame," Katrina looked over her shoulder at him, unhappy. "I hoped that you would be allowed to go, but you've been made to stay."

"It's nice ta know ya care," retorted Raph. He was glad that she didn't seem to mind what happened to him because it made him feel less guilty about being so cold towards her; however, he felt slightly disappointed that she wouldn't miss him once he left. They stopped outside his room at last.

"I'll drop by here when it's time for lunch," Katrina told him. "It's only in an hour. I hope you find something to entertain yourself with in your room."

"Whatever." Raph walked into the room, stamping his feet as loudly as possible. The room, that had been so welcoming the night before, had lost its novelty and was now a lot like a prison cell. As soon as Katrina left the room, Raph planned on going to try and find a route out of the school. There had to be a way out. He refused to believe that he was stuck there.

"Raphael?"

Raph glowered at her, sitting on his bed. "What?"

"You're wrong."

Her hand touched the door.

"I do care."

It closed.

TMNTNMT

Raph lay on his bed, trying to understand Katrina. She was acting cold and distant towards him, but he wasn't so sure that it was because she didn't like him. He knew that she wanted him to leave, but Raph didn't think it was because she disliked his company. She had told him just now that she cared about him. She wanted him to go, but was it because she was worried about him? He didn't know what it was about the school that made her want him to go.

There was also the fact that Warumagi had been pleased to see him. It could have been because he was pleased to see a non-human that could join his school. If one student graduated practically every week then a new pupil would have been a good thing. There was that too. He didn't understand why Warumagi would make it so that a student graduated every week. Surely he would run out of pupils very quickly?

Raph groaned, lifting his head up from the bed. He couldn't be bothered to find a way out. In fact, now a part of him wanted to stay, if only so he could figure out what was happening in the school. He rolled out of bed and went to the corner of the room, where there was a set of mahogany drawers. Katrina had told him to find something to entertain himself with, and he hoped that this meant there was something to do in there. He opened them, breathing in its ancient scent. He peered inside it and sighed. There was a stack of yellow paper and a pencil, which he could write a letter with. It would keep him occupied until lunchtime, though he didn't know what he would do with himself afterwards.

Raph took out the drawer's contents and dropped them onto the table. There weren't any chairs, so he had to make do with kneeling. He stared at the blank piece of paper, chewing the end of his pencil. He had wanted to contact his family so much, yet now when it came to it he had no idea what to tell them. After two minutes, he printed 'Dear family' in a rough scrawl. That wasn't too difficult. He hoped that the rest of the letter would be easy, but to his dismay he found that it wasn't. He had so much to say, but he couldn't say it.

He was rubbing his knuckle against his forehead when Katrina entered the room. He didn't acknowledge her presence, so Katrina coughed slightly.

Raph glared at her, frustrated at his writer's block. "What? Ya need cough medicine?"

"It's lunchtime."

"Screw lunch. I'm busy."

Katrina cautiously went over to him and read what he had written.

"You're writing to your family?" She sounded interested.

"Not really." He shrugged. "I ain't got no idea what to put."

She furrowed her eyebrows, thinking. Then, she offered to help him.

Raph stared at her for a minute, before patting the floor next to him. She crouched slightly, because if she sat down completely, she wouldn't be able to see. She held out her hand, and Raph gave her the pencil. He didn't see how a servant who probably didn't have any education would be able to help him, but he was stumped enough to give her a chance.

"What do you want me to write?" asked Katrina.

"Dunno," Raph replied, clenching his fists. "I want them to know dat I'm alright. I want them to know dat I ain't in any danger…"

She wrote something down, nodding at him encouragingly. "What else?"

"Uh…" He hit his fist against the table. "I dunno what to say! I miss them like mad, but I don't want to look pathetic so don't say dat. I don't want Leo to try and come find me, 'cos I don't know where I am. I'm in a dumb school with a dumb headmaster who made it so I can't leave for ages."

Katrina smiled a bit. "I won't include the word 'dumb' in it, in case the Lord finds out and bans you from writing to home." She slid the piece of paper to him, "It'll be easier when they write back. They'll ask you questions and you can answer them. Now please read it and tell me what you think. I haven't finished it; I only gave you a starting point."

Raph read through it quickly, before going through it slowly in case Katrina had hidden some unwanted details. However, he was satisfied with it and showed this with a grin. He handed it back to Katrina. "It's perfect. Ya got an envelope?"

"I can get a hold of one," Katrina told him. "Once I leave the school. I want you to finish the letter and rewrite it in your own words." She gave it back to him. "So your family don't think someone is pretending to be you. Feel free to change whatever you like."

"Are ya sure ya can get an envelope?"

Katrina nodded. "I am very capable of doing so, don't worry. I will also include an address for them to send it to, because a letter in the normal post won't be able to reach here. I'm sure there are a few deserted areas in New York. Then, I'll leave the letter on your bedside table for you to read. Whenever you want to send them a letter, just find me. I'll be around."

"I don't get it," said Raph. "Why'd ya stay here if ya can leave? Wouldn't ya rather live somewhere else, where ya don't have to be Warumagi's servant?"

"There is nowhere for a servant girl like me to go to," Katrina said sadly, averting her gaze. "The Lord is my only family and without him I wouldn't have anything to eat… or anywhere to sleep... Now come, Raphael, it is time for lunch."

Raph got up and followed her out of the room. He had been curious to know whether she had any family or not, and he guessed that it had been obvious. Why else would she work for Warumagi?

"Hey Katrina," Raph said, when they were halfway down the corridor. He decided to attempt to make friends with her once more. "Ya can call me Raph if ya want. The guys back at home call me dat."

"It doesn't sound… formal," Katrina replied, leading him towards the lunch hall. Raph shrugged, acting like he didn't care. If she wanted to address him formally, it meant that she respected him in some way. On the other hand, it made him feel distant and more alienated in the school. He wanted somebody to chill with; somebody to help him through the day. No one seemed to understand him here, because they had gotten used to the school. The students lived there. He hadn't adjusted to it, and nor did he plan on doing so.

The school seemed to have morphed due to his mood. Its vibrant colours had melted away, reflecting his frame of mind. Katrina slipped away when he entered the lunch hall, where he was spotted immediately by an ecstatic Blossom. She linked arms with him and went with him to get some food. He growled, removing his arm straight away. She pretended to not be hurt, smiling and chatting to him at a rapid pace.

'At least somebody likes me', Raph thought darkly.

He grabbed random pieces of food and put them onto his plate. It didn't really matter which he chose, because he wasn't sure if he was hungry enough to eat anything. He just didn't want Blossom to complain that he wasn't eating enough or something.

He shook his head furiously.

What the shell was wrong with him? He made himself feel sick. The Raph he knew wouldn't be so depressed about being on a kind of holiday for a few weeks. When Leo went to find the Ancient One, he hadn't had any contact with his family for months. He doubted that Leo had missed them much. If he had, then he would have at least written to them. If Leo could survive without his family, then so could he. Raph made the resolution to kick himself and play along.

"So anyway, I got an A on my last test," Blossom said, beaming, whilst chewing noisily on her peanut butter sandwich. "When I got my result I was so happy. I thought I had failed completely because I knew that I had lost at least three marks straight away."

"Congrats." Raph smiled faintly, though he personally thought that grades didn't mean much, which might have been because he had never done the best in any of their lessons, being outshone by Leo in training and Don in anything that involved thinking scientifically. Even Mikey had something he was good at, even if it was only cooking decent meals and playing video games. Raph was the physically strongest member of his family, but Master Splinter had once told him that you couldn't use your strength to its full potential unless you knew how.

"She always gets top marks." Foxglove sat down at their table, laying her tray in front of her. What she had wanted to be annoyance sounded an awful lot like jealousy. "It's no big deal for a nerd like her. She'll be out of the school in a matter of time."

"Ooh..." Blossom blushed. "I've got a long way to go. There's Spyke, Scarlet…"

"Yeah, they'll be gone soon," Foxglove said dismissively, eating a spoonful of yogurt. She swallowed, waggling her spoon at Blossom. "And then you'll be sent off into the big wide world, all by yourself."

Blossom looked down at her food uneasily. "You're right. When I go, what will I do?"

"Ya will do whatever you've always wanted ta do when ya left school," said Raph. Everyone had dreams, no matter stupid or farfetched they were. Mikey had wanted to be a dog when he was four. "Follow yer lifelong dream. It ain't hard."

Blossom stared at him dubiously. "Dream?"

"What, ya have one, don't ya?"

Blossom shook her head. "No… Not really. I don't have a specific goal."

"Why not? Yer a Human Hybrid. I bet dat opens up a whole lotta options."

"It's because the Lord says that all our dreams will be answered when we leave," Blossom explained vaguely. "Live now and success will soon follow. That's our motto." She sounded as though it was the most logical and realistic response a straight A student could give. "I just wish I knew what my dream was."

"It's a load of rubbish," remarked Foxglove. "An absolute load of rubbish."

For once, Raph was inclined to agree with her.

TMNTNMT

_Hey Guys,_

_Before you get all worried… I'm alright. I bumped into a few P-Ds and they knocked me out with a dart (So no, Leo, it wasn't because I haven't been trying hard enough in our lessons)._

_I'm in this freaky school. And I ain't saying that 'cos I don't like it. There are these students, and they are something called 'Human Hybrids' (Donnie, you can check that up. I had it explained to me but I don't really get it). One of the students found me knocked out and brought me here. And then, with my luck, it turned out I can't leave until they repair this teleporter that broke when I arrived here._

_This servant called Katrina delivered this letter. And before Leo can open his mouth, I ain't telling you where I am. Mostly 'cos I don't really know where the school is… but it's also 'cos I want you to know that I'm okay and I ain't a baby. The headmaster said that this place is really out there, so there isn't much of a chance of you reaching me._

_I'm writing to you so that you know how I am, instead of you having to sit at home worrying whether I was alive or not… like SOMEONE did. I'll say that the place is called 'Lord Warumagi's School For Human Hybrids'. Yeah, that's its name._

_They're letting me start these lessons so I won't be behind everyone when I get back, okay Sensei? They said that the teleporter will be fixed in a few weeks. But I'll practice my katas and stuff whenever I can._

_See you ASAP,_

_Raphael_

_PS I didn't forget about you Mikey. I just didn't think I needed to mention you._


	5. New Room

**I like cheese sandwiches. Do you? Yeah... yeah, I thought as much.**

* * *

Raphael trudged out of the dinner hall, glaring at any student that brushed past him. They were all hurriedly going to the lecturing hall for their next lesson, barging into the people that blocked their way. Raph wouldn't admit this, but he was slightly jealous that they had something to do.

He wondered whether he could find Katrina. Sure, she wasn't really his friend and she annoyed him a bit, but she felt the same isolation he felt. They were both stuck somewhere they didn't want to be, assuming that she disliked being Warumagi's servant.

He suddenly became conscious of the fact that he hadn't been paying attention to where he was going. He blinked and saw that there was a wooden door right in front of him. On it was a piece of paper marked, 'Keep closed or face expulsion'.

"Oh, that would be so horrible," Raph grumbled to no one, pushing the door. It refused to budge. He narrowed his eyes, shoving his body into it. Yes, it requested that he left it alone, but if the many notes on Michelangelo's room didn't deter him from going in and looking through his stuff for blackmail material, he didn't see what was so special about that door. If this place was to become his new home (for now), then he might as well treat it like it was.

After five body throws, he forced the door open. Raph coughed, breathing in dust. He stepped in, closing the door behind him. If the Lord couldn't expel him, he would probably do something worse, so he didn't want to risk being caught. On the other hand, a door that told you to go away or else just begged to be opened.

The room he was now in was very dusty, like it hadn't been cleaned… ever. The wallpaper on the walls was hanging loosely, deadly still. The flooring was practically coated in a layer of sand, so Raph couldn't quite make out what colour the carpet was supposed to be. What first caught his attention, however, was how dead the whole place seemed. He thought he could feel it pushing down on his chest, but it might have just been the dust that had settled in his throat when he had moved the door.

Raph looked around the room suspiciously, trying to find something that would cause Warumagi to close off the room. Judging by how eager the students had been to get to their lesson, he wisely decided that the punishment was severe to them.

The room, other than being covered in dust, looked untouched. The double bed in the far left corner was made: two grey pillows sitting on top of the plain bed sheets, which were hidden by the straight duvet covers placed on top. Beside the bed was a pair of dark pink slippers, sitting side by side. A large wardrobe was adjacent to a gold makeup vanity, which was opposite the door. He went to the vanity first and tried to open its drawer, only to find that it was locked. Facing away from it, Raph approached the wardrobe, his hands outstretched. Then, he slowly inched the door open.

It was stuffed full of various gowns and nightdresses, containing far more colours than there were in a hundred rainbows. At the bottom of the piece of furniture were dozens of shoes; some had heels while some were flat. He blinked, before being distracted by the sound of a piano playing. He jumped back, trying to find out where it was coming from. Then, deducing that it was originating from the wardrobe, he hurriedly shut it. The room immediately fell silent.

"Oh… kay…" mumbled Raph, backing away from it. He bumped into a bookcase, which shuddered and threw books down at him. He growled, picking them up and slotting them in wherever he could find a space. He doubted Warumagi would notice if a few books were out of place. The last book he picked up was royal blue, with golden lettering on it. He read the title.

_Diary: Property of M. Warumagi_

Raph's first instinct was to assume that it was Warumagi's, but he didn't think that he was the kind of man to keep a diary. Besides, going with the slippers and the clothes in the room, he suspected that the diary belonged to someone who was female. He knew of two females that had a last name of Warumagi- the Lord's wife and his daughter. The pieces of clothing were of a woman's, so it was apparent to him that the diary was Mistress Warumagi's.

He was slightly creeped out that he was holding a dead person's diary, but nonetheless he was intrigued. It might have explained how the headmaster's family died. Raph opened it to the first page, reading the neatly printed writing.

_Entry 1_

_It's my first day living with my new husband, Benedict. I love him so much. We met at a café in Washington; I was a waitress and as soon as I took his order we clicked! He told me he was a scientist and he earned a lot of money, but all he ever wanted was someone to share it with. He is SUCH a sweet talker. By the end of our first conversation he was calling me 'Darling'. He asked me for my number and I gave it to him. I didn't think he was going to contact me, but he did!_

_Now, just one year after we met, we're married. He bought us a giant house out of his salary. There is so much room here it's unbelievable. I would have gotten lost if he hadn't insisted on being with me wherever I went. He cares so much about me, and I love him equally as much… maybe even more. This is looking to be the start of something wonderful!_

Raph raised his brow. He hadn't known that the school hadn't always been a school. He also hadn't known that Warumagi had been a scientist. Well, it explained how he could afford to set up his own school. He read the next few pages, but they all seemed to be variations of the sentence, 'I love Benedict'. He smiled at the name. Who would have thought that Warumagi's first name was Benedict? He chuckled, reading through the pages slowly. As similar as they were to one another, he didn't want to miss anything important.

_Entry 36_

_I have beautiful news! I am finally pregnant. I have been neglecting you for the past few months but now, as Benedict insists that I do not do any work, I have found the time to catch up with what has happened._

_Benedict told me that I am expecting a daughter. We have always wanted a little princess! Benedict says that the baby will be an angel if she looks anything like me. I can't wait for her to be born. Her birth will be a permanent reminder of our love. I am so excited that I can barely wait! Our family will be complete in a matter of time. _

Raph curled his mouth downwards. Warumagi loved his family far more than he had thought he did, and Raph had thought he was obsessed with them when he had seen the number of paintings Warumagi had of them. Raph sighed, reluctantly closing the diary. He didn't know what time it was, but he suspected that it was time for him to go. He returned the book, making a mental note to come back and read the rest. He could have taken it with him, but he didn't want to be found with the diary in his possession. He went out of the room and hurried down the corridor, trying to remember where the room was as he made his way towards what he thought was the lunch hall.

The halls were deserted because the class hadn't finished yet. After coming to ten dead ends and a door that led into the girl's bathroom, Raph came across a door that seemed promising. Rubbing his now slapped cheek (the robin hybrid was tougher than he had thought she was), Raph opened it and stepped outside.

He hadn't seen the exterior of the school before, and he felt his breath escape from his agape mouth. It was a series of huge fields, extending as far as the eye could see. It was warm, and the Sun was hanging in the sky like a light bulb. In the far distance there was a glistening lake, as blue as Leonardo's mask. Raph closed the door behind him, gazing around. This was a completely different landscape to the one he was used to. It was also refreshing to be outside.

A small dark figure caught his eye. Someone was sitting next to the lake, leaning against a large tree that hung over the body of water. Raph walked towards the figure, and then he could see that the person was Katrina. He ran over to her, calling her name. She looked up at him, smiling faintly.

"Yo Katrina." Raph sat down next to her, kicking out his legs. "What are ya doin' here?"

"Not much…" She shrugged her shoulders. She slowly put her legs in the same position as him. "I'm just relaxing until I am needed by the Lord."

"What would he need ya for?" queried Raph. "I mean, what jobs do ya have to do for him?"

"General things…" Katrina said imprecisely, gazing across the lake. "Mostly errands…"

"Oh," said Raph, losing interest. It sounded more boring than the meditation lessons he had with Master Splinter. He shuffled forwards until his feet were hovering over the lake. Then, he dipped his feet into the water. It was quite cold, but that just made it all the more inviting. He turned back to Katrina, beaming. "Come on. The water's fine."

She looked down at her feet wordlessly. She was wearing a black maid outfit, with starch white tights and polished black shoes, each with a shining silver buckle on them. Katrina wiggled her feet, biting her lip worriedly. Clearly, she wasn't enthusiastic about taking her footwear off. "Um… my feet are fine."

Raph wasn't going to force her, so he ignored her and kicked his feet slightly. Little droplets soared upwards, before crashing back down on the lake's surface. He leant back and smiled contentedly at the sky, feeling the gentle rays of sun on his face. He closed his eyes for a moment, before opening them when he felt something brush past his arm. Katrina's tights and shoes lay abandoned behind them and she was lying on her back on the lake's edge. Her small pale feet sat upon the surface of the water, before slowly sinking downwards.

"It is rather refreshing…" commented Katrina, shuddering at the coldness of it. However, once she got used to it, she laughed quietly and kicked her legs a bit. Refreshing was an understatement of how her feet felt, now that they were no longer contained in her hot clothing.

"Ya need to relax every once in a while," Raph told her. He stood up before jumping into the water. He created a small wave, which drenched Katrina. She shrieked, leaping backwards and pulling a stricken face. Raph smirked at her, chuckling as she pinched at her dress in an attempt to get rid of as much liquid as possible. "Wazz the matter? It's only a bit of water."

"I'm wet!" gasped Katrina, spluttering and going onto all fours.

"I hadn't noticed," he replied sarcastically, bobbing up and down in the water.

"Why on earth did you do that, Raphael?" she asked, staring at him with an exasperated expression.

Raph didn't say anything for a minute, too busy floating along. Then, when he decided that she had had enough time to ponder about this, he said, "Ya have to stop bein' so serious." He flinched after he said that. It sounded like something Michelangelo would say. He continued, "Ya have to have fun every once in a while, or else ya will turn into Leo. Honestly, ya act like an old lady. It's weird. Besides, it was an accident."

"Oh…" Katrina's eyes glazed over. "I… I just remembered something. I have to help the cook make dinner." She stood up and shook her legs. Then, she stuffed her legs into her tights and slipped her feet into her shoes. Katrina moved her hair rapidly, hoping that it wouldn't remain wet for very long.

"Dinner's ages away," Raph told her, getting out of the lake and sitting on its edge.

"We only have one cook," explained Katrina, hurrying away and going towards the school. "And there are a lot of students to feed. It takes a long time, trust me. Don't stay out here for too long, and if you do choose to come here again make sure you are in your room by nine. It's the rules. I will see you another time, Raph!"

He frowned after her, annoyed that she had suddenly needed to go. He would have enjoyed teasing her for a few more minutes. He got up and went after her, feeling hungry. It was only when his hand touched the door handle that he realized what she had said.

_"I will see you another time, Raph!"_

Feeling slightly pleased, he re-entered the building.

TMNTNMT

"You can sit next to me," said Blossom excitedly, jumping up and down in her seat ecstatically. It was a wonder the floor didn't collapsed underneath her. "And… and we can share notes… do homework together… revise with each other..."

"Charmin'," said Raph, drumming his hands against the table. "I can't wait."

He had explored the school for an hour or two, trying to memorize where everything was. After a while, he had come across the lunch hall, where dinner was beginning to be served. He had chosen his meal and had sat down at a deserted table when Blossom and Foxglove had entered the room together. He had tried not to draw attention to himself, but Blossom had a built-in 'Raph-radar' or something similar to one, because she had spotted him immediately.

Apparently, their teacher had told the class that Raph would be joining their class tomorrow. If Raph hadn't been told, he would have guessed that Blossom had passed thirteen exams with full marks, she was so happy.

"We can be study buddies!" Blossom's eyes widened at the thought. She giggled, rocking her head back and forth slightly. Foxglove sipped her coffee, cocking an eyebrow. A robin hybrid was staring at Blossom, a confused look on her face. Raph looked away, hoping that she wouldn't recognize him as the 'boy that went into the girl's bathroom by accident'.

"She hasn't had her medicine," said Foxglove quickly. The robin hybrid shrugged her shoulders and walked away, sitting at a table that was full of people. Foxglove sighed, looking longingly at them. She would have rather been there than with the company she was with now. She was about to go join them when Fang and Charles sat at their table. Foxglove pretended that she had only been stretching, before straightening up and sitting at the table properly.

"We couldn't help overhearing that you are starting lessons here tomorrow," commented Fang, his eyes firmly on the red clad turtle.

"I bet ya couldn't," replied Raph, looking at Blossom. He wouldn't have been surprised if the whole school had overheard their rather one sided conversation.

Blossom smiled at him, laughing nervously. "I can't help it. I'm just so excited. You will love the lessons, believe me. We learn so much and-"

"Hey." Fang nodded at her. "Go get me some food. I forgot to get some when I sat down."

"Oh." Blossom's face faltered, but she was smiling again and soon on her feet. "Okay. Do you want me to get what you usually have? Or do you want to have something you've never tried before?"

"Yeah sure whatever." Fang shooed her away. As soon as Blossom was out of sight, he nodded at Raph. "Like I was saying... As you're starting lessons with us tomorrow, I thought that we could celebrate."

"Celebrate?" repeated Raph, not seeing what there was to celebrate about starting school. He would have thought that they should do the exact opposite.

Fang grinned at his expression. "Yeah… tomorrow night. Straight after dinner, we're going to go outside and have a little party. It'll be fun, believe me. Of course, you have to be there." He laughed. "Or else we can't really celebrate it, if you know what I mean. Can I count on you being there?"

"Lemme check my social calendar," retorted Raph dryly. "Yeah, I don't have any other plans." He looked over at Blossom, who was humming as she chose various foods for her friend. He furrowed his brow and turned back to Fang. "Ya had ta tell me this without her nearby because…?"

Fang chuckled, thinking that Raph wasn't being serious when he had asked that question. He caught Raph's eye and saw that he wasn't joking. The wolf hybrid frowned. "You can't be serious, Raphael. She would completely ruin it. It's better if she doesn't come, trust me."

"She'd insist on playing pass the parcel and giving out party bags," piped up Charles, causing Fang and Foxglove to laugh harshly. Blossom returned with the food, laughing as well, despite the fact that she most likely had no idea what she was laughing about.

Raph felt his blood boil. The Human Hybrids were isolated from normal civilisation, and they were making Blossom more of an outcast than she already was. Granted, he found her annoying, but then again he found most of his family irritating at times. That didn't mean he ignored them. Besides, excluding Katrina, Blossom was probably the only other creature there that actually seemed like a nice person. She chatted happily, not noticing that no one else was taking her seriously.

Raph ate his food purposely slowly, letting Charles and Fang finish way before him. When they departed from the table, Foxglove did too and tagged along behind them. This left only Raph and Blossom, who had stayed at the table waiting for her friend loyally.

"Hey Blossom," Raph said, finishing his last spoonful of carrots.

"Yes Raphael?"

"Are ya busy tomorrow night?"


	6. New Understandings

The alarm went off.

Raphael groaned, slowly sitting up. He had no idea what time it was, and for a moment he had no idea why he needed to get up so early. After rubbing his eyes and stretching his arms, he remembered that today was the day that he started lessons with the students. He didn't think 'other students' because he refused to think of himself as one. He was only there until a new teleporter was made. Then, he would be out of the school and back home with family. He got out of bed before pulling a face at the shrill ringing of the alarm clock.

Raph blinked. There hadn't been an alarm clock when he had gone to bed the previous night.

He shook his head, trying not to be freaked out by the fact someone had gone into his room and put an alarm clock there… while he had been sleeping. Hadn't it been only the morning before that Charles had been in his room, waiting for him to wake up? He hoped it wasn't common for random people to go into people's room while they weren't awake.

He found the alarm clock on the table, sitting beside a piece of paper that was folded in half four times. Next to it was a small note. Raph picked up the note first and read it.

_Raph_

_I delivered your letter to your family. Also I have left you a map of the school, so you aren't late for your lessons._

_Katrina_

_PS One of the students, Blossom, found me and insisted that I give you this alarm clock._

Raph shook his head, grinning, before taking out one of his sai and stabbing the clock with it. Then, he twirled it and put his weapon back into his belt, before taking the map off the table and reading it.

A large red cross told him where his room was, and a small trail of red spots showed him the way to a large room. Also, there was a small sequence of blue spots that led to a room that was roughly the same size as the room the red dots led to. The last set of dots was green and led to a small room that was a fair distance away from the other two rooms. He didn't know where any of them led to, but he decided that he may as well find out. He held it to his face and left the room, trying to figure out which he should follow.

He wanted to go to the lunch hall and have breakfast. He assumed that one of the big rooms was the lunch hall, but he didn't know which one was that. Obviously Katrina had marked the three rooms with a reason in mind. He just wished that she had explained the reason to him, instead of leaving him to guess.

It certainly wasn't the smallest room. If it was then Raph would have to go right upon leaving his room, however he was sure that he had gone left the previous days. The two bigger rooms both required him to go left, so he figured that going that way would be a safe choice.

Raph, having followed maps plenty of times before, walked quickly from corridor to corridor, bumping into students without a second thought. Some of them shrugged it off, while some called after him angrily. This was the only thing that caused Raph to stop and talk back to them rather snappily.

He came across the room that was marked with a giant red spot on the map and looked up. He grinned, looking around the large lunch hall. He had reached it on his first guess. He lifted his chin slightly, proud of himself. He was so pleased that he didn't say anything when he sat down with Blossom and Foxglove. The fox hybrid was complaining about something, but he couldn't care less about what it was. He thought that women tended to complain about anything and everything. That was what Casey had told him.

"I swear that Raven is trying to get it on with Fang," whined Foxglove, slamming her spoon into her bowl of bran flakes. She created a mini milk explosion, soaking the table cloak around her bowl. She gritted her teeth before continuing, "She joined all the sport's teams and like, fusses whenever he's nearby. She isn't even any good at sports. She's an attention seeking brat."

"Oh, she's not that bad," said Blossom brightly, chewing on her toast with a smile on her face. "Besides, you know that Fang hates her. At hockey practice he never passes to her or anything."

Foxglove leaned closer, her eyes shining madly. "What if that's because he doesn't want to draw attention to her? If he passed to her all the time then people would suspect things."

Raph thought to himself how stupid the conversation was. He glanced over his shoulder, hoping that no one thought that he was part of it. He turned back and began to eat his breakfast, zoning out of the scene.

Warumagi had said to him that he was starting lessons that day. He didn't know whether he was supposed to get a timetable or a description of where he was meant to be and when. He looked back down at the map. It was possible that his classroom was one of the other labelled rooms, but he couldn't be sure. Even if this was true, he didn't know whether it was the large or small room.

He didn't notice Blossom rest her head on his shoulder until she said, "What have you got there?"

Raph jumped, knocking her chin by accident. He hadn't realized that the two girls had stopped talking. He shrugged, feeling guilty as she rubbed the bottom of her head. "It's… it's just a map of the school. I still don't know my way around…" He blinked. "Did I hurt ya?"

"No!" Blossom's face flushed. "No, of course not. You just… surprised me, that's all."

Foxglove leaned over the table to look at his piece of paper. She pointed at the larger room. "That's where we have our lessons."

"Oh," Raph was surprised that she had actually helped him without being asked or bribed to. He pointed at the smaller room. "What's this then?"

"Nothing special," Foxglove sat in her seat properly. "It's… it's a bathroom. They're everywhere around the school… I can't see why it's marked. Just ignore it."

There was an edge to her voice that caught Raph's attention. He peered at her, observing the slight worry present on her face. He was about to chuckle when he caught it in his throat at the last moment. If she knew that he knew she looked suspicious then she would get suspicious of him. It was clear that she didn't want him to go to that room, which meant that he was going to go there as soon as he could.

After he finished his breakfast, he left the room with Blossom. She told him excitedly about the lesson they were about to have- maths. Raph exhaled slowly when he heard this. He didn't do maths. Back at home, Don did all the maths they could ever need. Blossom mistook his reaction as one of pleasure and talked about pi. She said the word so much that it made him hungry, even though he had just eaten.

They went through a pair of large doors and entered the lecturing hall. On one side of the room was a giant stage; while on the other was a series of desks. Blossom grabbed hold of his hand and dragged him up a small flight of stairs. His examined the hall as he went upwards. On either side of him were rows and rows of desks and chairs, getting higher and higher up as they got closer to the back wall. They stopped going up and went down one of the rows. They weren't near the back, but they weren't close to the front.

"Here is your desk, Raphael," Blossom said, sitting down behind one of them and patting the chair next to hers. "I asked Wol if you could sit next to me and he said yes! We can work together on the problems. Isn't that great?"

"It'll be the highlight of my life," Raph told her, plonking himself next to her.

"I know! Lessons are so fun." She beamed. "Did you see the alarm clock I asked the servant to put in your room?"

"Yeah…" Raph coughed. "I kinda broke it though. Sorry."

She giggled. "Oh… it doesn't matter! There are tonnes of them in the storage closet."

She rested her handbag on her knees and dipped her hand into it, searching for something. Raph rolled his eyes, drumming his fingers on the top of his desk. After a minute of shuffling, she smiled before lifting out two notebooks and a handful of black biros.

Blossom passed him a pen and a notebook. "Here you go. Now you can take some notes so you can revise from them later."

He took them silently, putting them down on his desk. Blossom was talking about some test they had to do at some point, but he wasn't really paying attention. After thinking about that morning and the oncoming day, he realized that she was still chatting happily.

"Yer comin' to dat party later, right?" interrupted Raph. He didn't want to hear the word 'test' and 'fail' for a long, long time.

Blossom nodded slowly. "Yeah. But are you sure I'm allowed to come? I wasn't invited."

"Yer comin' with me." He jerked his thumb towards his chest, smirking, "I'm allowed ta brin' who I want to this party, and I wanna brin' you."

"Oh," said Blossom, "so I'm like your date, huh?"

If Raph had been drinking something, all the contents of his mouth would have spilled out. He shook his head furiously. "Of course not. Yer just my friend… and I felt sorry for ya, 'cos none of the others are very nice to ya."

Blossom suddenly narrowed her eyes.

"They are nice to me! They like me," Blossom told him, her voice wobbling slightly. "How would you know what they think about me? You're not a mind reader."

"Ya don't need to be," snapped Raph, refusing to back down now. "Can't ya see how they take advantage of ya? How they think yer a nerd? They don't like ya as a friend. The only reason they hang out with ya is 'cause ya do stuff for them."

The door to the hall opened and a group of students walked in. Blossom stood up, looking furious for the first time he had met her. Raph looked up at her, wondering what was going to happen. It was hard to predict things if the thing had never happened before.

"You're wrong, Raphael," she said, the wobble in her voice plainly obvious. "I do have friends. Don't expect me to come to your party. You… you can take one of your REAL friends."

Her hand smacked his cheek, and she stormed off before he could figure out what was happening. Raph rubbed his face, enraged and confused. He couldn't see how he had upset her. All he had done was point out the obvious. He invited her to a stupid party and she had shown her gratitude by slapping him. Shell, women were very strange creatures.

The students who were in the hall were looking at him, nudging each other and whispering. He glared down at them, daring them to say something to his face. One look at him made them fall silent and sit down, their heads facing forwards completely. Satisfied that they wouldn't turn around to peer up at him, he dared to glance at Blossom. Unfortunately, the room was nearly full by now and he couldn't find her.

He groaned, dropping his face onto the desk. He would have to apologize, and he knew that he was rubbish at doing that. It was like asking Hun to give back the money he had just stolen. They just didn't go together.

He heard someone sit down next to him. He raised his head, hoping it was Blossom. He would have preferred to apologize to her sooner rather than later. To his disappointment, it was Fang. There wasn't a spare seat next to the wolf hybrid, because Charles had taken it, so a disgruntled Foxglove had to make to with sitting next to Raph on his other side. He glowered at her, showing her that he didn't want to sit next to her any more than she did him.

He put his face back down on the desk.

"I think he's dead," commented Charles. "First dibs on his gardening forks."

"Nah, he's twitching slightly," said Fang, rolling his eyes.

Raph sat up. Foxglove elbowed him. "Oi, Raphael, why the heck were you slouching like that?"

He would have ignored her anyway, even if a short owl hybrid hadn't walked in. He was short, probably only just reaching Raph's elbows height-wise, with large brown spectacles that magnified his tiny eyes. He ruffled his wings, bobbing up and down as he walked onto the stage. He stood facing the larger, more populated crowd of Human Hybrids. Everyone fell silent as soon as they caught sight of him, facing away from their peers and watching the small figure.

It was a kind of power that you couldn't see with your eyes.

"Good morning, class."

"Good morning, Mr Wol," everyone except Raph chanted.

"Today, you will be learning about Pi. Now, Pi is an irrational number you will often see in relation to circles…"

Raph zoned out and began doodling on the first page of his notebook. Everyone else was writing furiously in a mad frenzy, but he wasn't the one to follow what everyone else was doing. He drew a crude stickturtle (for he wasn't the best artist in the world) that was beating up a bunch of stickmen. He hoped that there were physical lessons, and not just theoretical-sit-on-your-~ Censored ~-all-day lessons.

He didn't know how long he was there for, but by the time the bell rang, signalling the end of the lesson, he had made a short comic about him fighting a bunch of people he was annoyed with, filling up a total of fifteen pages. He stood up with the rest of the class, looking around for Blossom. He wasn't certain if he was meant to keep the notebook and pen or not.

"What's the matter?" asked Foxglove, pulling him back.

He growled. He had just picked out Blossom amongst the sea of students, and now he couldn't see her. Raph turned to Foxglove angrily, hoping for her sake that it was important.

"Did you fall out with Blossom?" she asked curiously.

"Nosy, aren't you?" remarked Raph. He could have stormed away, but his path was blocked by a thick clump of students. Deciding not to push past them, he refocused on Foxglove.

Fang and Charles, not caring about their conversation, joined the stream of people departing from the hall.

Foxglove grinned darkly. "Maybe. So, have you? Usually she's attached to your side with glue."

"She got upset 'cos I told her that she ain't got any friends." Raph shrugged. Now that they were the only students left in the room, he crossed the aisle and descended down the stairs to leave the hall.

Foxglove jogged after him. "Wow, Mr Put-it-Gently, you really outdid yourself."

"Shut up," growled Raph. He knew that he had been blunt. He didn't need to be reminded. "If she had friends in the first place, then I would never have said it. It's yer fault as much as mine."

"Don't pass the blame onto me," said Foxglove, irritated. "She was all fine being a friendless loser before. You were the one that upset her about it."

"Ya gave her somethin' to be upset about."

"But you were the one who made her upset about it."

"What, am I talking to a brick wall or somethin'?"

Raph raised his arms, thundering away from her. Foxglove reddened and started to say something in response, but she faltered out after a few words of each sentence. She sighed, leaving the hall with her hands in her pockets.

When the door shut behind her, Blossom dropped to her knees and sobbed quietly.

TMNTNMT

"And I feel bad, ya know?" said Raph, lying on his plastron in the grass. The afternoon sun beat down on his skin, making it require much more effort to move than usual. He wiggled slightly, the blades of grass tickling his bare skin.

"I know," said Katrina.

Raph had skipped out on lunch, using his map to find his way out of the building. He had been following the green spots on his map, but he had found the door from before on the way and had chosen to go outside instead. There, he had found Katrina near the lake. She had told him that Warumagi was doing 'important' business in his office, and she had been given the afternoon off.

Raph groaned, lifting his body up a bit so he could stare across the lake. "I can't help it. I don't try and be horrible, but it just happens. I never say thin's right. I never do thin's right. Everythin' just comes out wron' for me."

"You shouldn't be so down on yourself Raph," replied Katrina, patting his arm gingerly. "You're not wrong. I'm sure you'll be friends with Blossom again very soon."

"Whatever," shrugged Raph. He didn't really have a knack for making friends. Sure, he had a few, but they weren't necessarily his special friends.

Casey was a close friend, but they were close friends because of their tempers; something that prevented him from getting close to other people. Angel had been a good friend of his too, but she had moved away a while ago.

Sometimes his family thought he liked being angry. He had heard Leonardo say that many times to Master Splinter, and Michelangelo had copied his eldest brother and had said it too. In fact, even Donatello muttered it under his breath when Raph broke something he had spent a lot of time working on. Raph sighed. He couldn't help being angry. If he had his way, he would compress the emotion and lock it away.

"You could try and say sorry," suggested Katrina.

"I ain't the sort of person who does dat."

"Then maybe you should become that sort of person."

Raph glared at her before bursting out laughing. He ruffled her hair. "I like ya kid."

"I'm not a kid," Katrina told him, offended.

Raph chuckled, much happier than he was before. Katrina reminded him an awful lot of Leo: annoying as shell, but annoyingly honest.

"Yeah ya are, Katrina. Be a kid while ya still can. Don't try and grow up too quickly or somethin'."

Katrina glared at him, but there was slight approval hidden in her eyes.

They stared up at the sky with one another. After a short silence, Katrina murmured, "Raph?"

"Yeah?"

She smiled. "Call me Kitty."

TMNTNMT

It was a long afternoon. He had had another lesson after lunch, in which he was supposed to be read a book about a group of rabbits that left their home because one of them had a weird vision. As for what else happened in the first three hours of the book he didn't know, because he thumb wrestled Fang through most of it, occasionally hearing little snippets while he waited for Fang to stop basking in his own victory.

Raph had won for the one hundred and fifth time when the bell rang, signalling that the class had ended. He let Charles pass him when he saw Blossom talking to Wol on the stage. Her back was to him, which he was glad for because then he could catch up to her without her running away. He approached the stage quietly, one of the only two students in the room now.

"Yes, Raphael?" said Wol, noticing him when he had only gotten halfway down the stairs. Blossom turned to him, surprisingly calm. In fact, she was grinning slightly at him.

He paused, blinking a bit. Did he have some food stuck between his teeth? He felt around his teeth with his tongue behind his closed mouth. He couldn't feel anything that shouldn't be there.

"I… I was just waitin' for Blossom…" mumbled Raph, not able to come up with an excuse.

"Oh, okay." Blossom waved at Wol, before descending off the stage and waiting for Raph on the ground. He finished walking down the stairs and the two left the room together.

They weren't due to have dinner for another three hours or so, and Raph didn't know what they were supposed to do now. He wouldn't know what to do with Blossom at any time of the day, after the incident that morning. He sighed, telling himself to say sorry or else he would have to kick himself later.

He opened his mouth to talk, but Blossom cut in before he could even say one word. "Don't. Please."

Raph was irritated. He hadn't said anything. "What?"

"You're going to say sorry for earlier," said Blossom, "and I don't want you to. I want to say sorry for slapping you in class this morning. I shouldn't have gotten so upset. You're right; I don't have any friends."

Raph shifted his weight from his right foot to his left, feeling uncomfortable. The fact that it was her stating this fact made him feel awkward. He coughed. "I… I didn't mean it. Yer my friend. I... I dunno what came over me."

"Really?"

"Sure," said Raph slowly. She sounded too happy for it to be natural.

"Oh Raphael!" Blossom gave him a giant hug, forcing the air out of his body in a sudden gasp. "You don't know how great I feel. I've never had a real friend before now. "

"Need air…" he choked, still being ignored by Blossom. He gulped, before tapping her on the back of her arm. She lessened her grip, looking at him curiously.

"Screw the party, Blossom," he said. "We'll have our own one."

Foxglove rounded the corner, her timing awfully accurate. She put her hands on her hips, raising her eyebrows. "Did I just hear you say that you're not going to your own party?"

Raph nodded.

Her eyes glittered. She looked as though Christmas had come early. "Ooh… wait 'til Fang hears this. You… are cancelling HIS plans… wow."

Raph couldn't care less. He turned to Blossom, paying no more attention to the fox hybrid. "Hey, is there a trainin' hall here or somethin'? I could do with letting off some steam."

"Yeah, come on!" The pair ran off, leaving Foxglove by herself.


	7. Letters

**Short chapter is short. This was at the end of Mikey's world. ;)  
**

* * *

_Dear Raphael,_

_My son, you do not know how relieved we are to know that you are alright! Your brothers and I have been searching New York high and low for you. April and Casey have been asking around and your brothers were preparing a visit to the Foot Headquarters. April gave us your letter, saying she didn't know how it got her apartment. Needless to say, it is explained in your letter and we are pleased that you have written to us._

_You can imagine what happened once I opened the envelope and saw your name signed at the bottom of the letter. Your brothers had an argument about it, before deciding who got to read it next in a duel._

_Leonardo acted as though he was disappointed and cross with you, but I assure you that he is really glad that you are alive and well. It was, after all, his idea to invade the Foot Headquarters to see if you were being held captive there. He also insists that he wasn't going to ask where you were (though the first question he asked was 'where he is?' upon seeing the letter), and he added that he didn't think that you were defeated because of your lack of skill, and that you shouldn't assume such things._

_Donatello says that he had has never heard of this 'Human Hybrid' you referred to in the previous letter, but he says that it is most likely an obscure name for an obscure occurrence. However, he says that it's given him something to research about and he'll get to work. Your brother, like the rest of your family, is very glad that you are safe and sound. He also wishes to inform you that Michelangelo, so far, has attempted to use your shell cycle eight times in the past week, but he has stopped him because he knows that if you were there you would do the same._

_Michelangelo was very ecstatic to read your letter. He says that everyone was worrying too much about you; however he worried about you just as much as us. I know that you have been gone for nearly a week, but that is a long time to have a family member missing for. Michelangelo wishes to know when you will return, and if he is allowed to 'let out' your room to someone (I can't imagine who though. I think he just wants two rooms for himself!). He says that he wants to know what the last sentence in your letter is supposed to mean. I assure him that it means he should know how much you care about him, but he argues it could also mean that you don't._

_I am glad to know that you will be keeping up with your training, and I hope that you behave yourself there. Don't do anything that I would disapprove of, and make sure that you _**don't**_ start any fights._

_I hope that you are still well, and that the teleporter is fixed soon. It has not been the same since you left._

_Your loving father,_

_Hamato Splinter_

_PS. You said you have lessons there. Do they include science or maths? If they do, I will be more than happy to assist you- Donnie_

_Don't do anything stupid, and remember everything Sensei taught you- Leo_

_Raph, if you let me rent out your room I'll give you ten per cent of the profit. I bet I can get Usagi or someone to pay to stay in your room- Your favourite brother, Mikey_

**TMNTNMT**_  
_

_Hey Guys,_

_It's nice to read about you guys again._

_The lessons are pretty cool. I don't do too much learning or anything, because our teacher is so boring and he goes on and on. My mate Blossom, who is really into the whole learning thing, takes notes and copies them out for me. I know that I should be taking down notes myself, but shell… I don't get anything he says. I just talk to some of the others or doodle in my notebook. I know I ain't exactly artistic, but it's better than sitting there and staring into blank space._

_They have this mega huge library. I can imagine your faces when you read that. Nah, I don't read there so much, but it's a good place to go and do research and homework in. It also lets me think about stuff. Usually, I have someone with me yakking their heads off about something. I can finally see what Sensei and Leo find so appealing about meditating. The silence!_

_Geez Leo, you were going to go to the Foot Headquarters, just to see if I was there? Don't you remember the last time we went there? I don't think that they would keep anyone hostage after that. They'd probably just kill them straight away. Still… it's nice to know you care. And it's nice to know you have confidence in me._

_Don, you did the right thing. If he lays one finger on my shell cycle, I swear to the big guy in the sky that he's going to regret being born when I come back. And you're probably right about the whole 'obscure name' thing. I'd never heard of them, but Warumagi hides them in this school far away from humans, so it ain't much of a surprise that we haven't heard of them. Still try and find out about them, 'cos everyone here's definition is really vague and stuff. Apparently they're animals that mutated into half human half animals things, which have the ability to turn into humans and stuff. I'll be sure to tell you if the homework gets too hard._

_Yeah, Mikey, you read right. I said WHEN I come back, not IF. You touch any of my stuff and you're dead. And you can't let out my room to no one, got it? Even if I let you, you wouldn't get any of the money they paid you. Rent out your own room, but it smells so bad I can't think who would want to even be there. And… yeah… Sensei was right about what I meant by the last sentence of that letter._

_The students here were throwing a party for me, but I didn't go. I bet you're probably wondering why, but I found something better to do. Besides, they were celebrating me starting lessons. Only Leo would celebrate that. I'm joking, bro, though seriously. You probably would._

_I thought they'd be mad but they handled it pretty well. My mate Fang was really cool about it, even though he and Charles (another guy I sometimes hang out with) had been the ones organizing it._

_I'll write back to you when I can.  
_

_Bye for now, Raph_

_PS How are April and Casey? Is Angel settling in at her new home?_


	8. The Start of Something Suspicious

Raphael yawned, sitting up in his bed. He rubbed his half-closed eyes, before widening them when his room began to scream at him. He jumped slightly, looking at the end table.

There, sitting on it like a queen sits on a throne, was an alarm clock. He smirked, getting out his sai and throwing it at the screeching object. It shattered, its pieces exploding and shooting off everywhere.

It was the sixth alarm clock he had broken. Blossom would run out of them eventually. Or, she would stop telling Katrina to put them in his room.

Raph got out of bed. The alarm clock was annoying, but it did a good job waking him up in the morning. He was practically wide awake now. He put on his elbow and kneepads, before tying his red mask around his eyes. It was Saturday, and he didn't have any lessons.

It was a good thing because he didn't exactly enjoy them. He did try to understand what Wol was saying, he really did. However, he couldn't comprehend many of the things he was being taught. Wol talked about things that were based on material the students had learned about before he had joined, and Wol didn't look as though he was going to go over these things. The students had the notes that they had written in previous lessons to revise from, but Raph didn't own any. Blossom did take the courtesy of rewriting some for him and sharing her earlier notes, but the sheer amount of them deterred him.

The only lesson he did enjoy was the practical lessons, because he was he was good at them. No one could run as fast as him. No one could lift as many weights as him. No one could beat his record on the obstacle course, which he had set only after two attempts. The lessons reminded him of home and it annoyed him that there was only a two hour lesson each week.

His athletic ability had made him more popular, and he had various team captains go up to him and demand him to be on their team. He had said no to each and every one of them. Lessons were bad enough. He didn't want to do any more for the school than he had to. He wasn't much of a sports person anyway… unless fighting counted as a sport.

Raph went to have his breakfast. He didn't bring the map with him, because he didn't particularly need it anymore. He had learned the way there off by heart, having walked that way for the past two and a half weeks or so.

There were only a handful of students in the lunch hall, because most of them liked sleeping in. Blossom was at one of the tables, eating her breakfast at an otherwise empty table. Raph went to get his food before sitting next to her. She smiled, not looking up.

"Hi, Raphael," she said. "I knew it was you."

"Really? How?"

"Because who else would come and eat with me?" she rolled her eyes, eating some more food.

"Oh. Right," said Raph, feeling uncomfortable. He didn't like how accepting Blossom was of her unpopularity.

"Hey, Raphael, after breakfast do you want to go to the library with me?"

Raph looked at her. "I didn't know we had any homework."

Then again, it wasn't as if he had been paying attention in their last lesson. He had been playing 'tic tac toe' with Charles.

"We do, but no. That isn't my reason. It's not so we can do some homework." Blossom giggled. "I want to do some research about… dreams."

"Oh." Raph frowned, the thought of studying needlessly not appealing to him. He had something that he wanted to do that day, and going to the library certainly wasn't what he had in mind.

He had gone to the library with Blossom before, so he knew that he thinking it dull and pointless was justified. It was a giant room crammed with shelf after shelf of fat heavy books: books that were old, older and so old dust flew out of them when he brushed past them gently. There were a few desks to sit down and work at, which was easy enough because the room was so empty and devoid of life. The thing he didn't like, or rather the person he didn't like, was the librarian. She was either very well respected because there was rarely any sound in there, or hardly anyone ever went there because she was so ugly and nasty.

He didn't know her name; shell, he doubted that anyone knew her name. Blossom had just referred to her as 'the librarian'. She was a lizard… well, he thought she was one. She was so shrivelled up that he wasn't sure what she was supposed to be. She walked very slowly, doubled over, continuously ambling by him and Blossom so she could see what they were doing. Every single time he had said even one word, she had appeared out of nowhere to tell him off like he was a three year old who had done something naughty.

"Yeah…" Raph shook his head, rejecting her offer. "I'll catch up to ya at lunch. I have somethin' to do."

Blossom smiled. "I can come with you. I don't need to my research now."

He sighed. He liked her, he really did. A part of Raph wanted to say 'yes' and let her come with him, but most of him firmly didn't want her to accompany him. He wasn't sure that the goody two-shoes would approve of exploring the school. Besides, where he wanted to go, he really wanted to go by himself.

"No thanks." Raph stood up, picking up his tray. "I need to do somethin'… secret."

Blossom nodded enthusiastically, acting like she knew what Raph was doing. She got up with him, and they put their trays in a pile on the table near the kitchen. He grinned, finding it funny how she didn't ask him what secret thing he wanted to do. She skipped off through one of the doors. As soon as it closed behind her, he headed through a different door and made his way back to his room.

He opened the door and saw that his map was just where he had left it. He picked it up and studied it closely. He knew the places he usually went to off by heart, but there were some rooms in the school that he didn't know about.

Like the one on the map that had the green cross in it.

He had wanted to see what it contained since he had gotten the map, but he had never found a good enough time to do so. Blossom kept following him around, so he wouldn't have been able to go without her coming. When she wasn't with him, Fang and Foxglove were hanging around him. He had thought the pair would dislike him for ruining the party Fang had organized for him some time ago, but instead it had made Fang respect him more. He wasn't positive how that worked, but he put it down to the fact that Fang didn't usually get blown off like that, and Fang admired him because of this. And if Fang forgave him, then it meant that Foxglove had to pretend to.

She was his major interference. When Fang was too busy (or so he told her) to hang out with her, she went to be with Raph instead. He wouldn't have minded her company if she wasn't so annoying. She was offended that Raph had spoiled the party Fang had wanted to throw for him, but he wasn't sure that was the real reason for her behaviour. Whenever he went in the direction of the marked room, she followed him so that he couldn't. It was like she knew where he was going and didn't want him to go there.

He would have asked Katrina what the room contained, but he rarely saw her now. She was always rushing about, doing various jobs for her master. When she wasn't working, she was sitting by the lake, resting. Raph didn't ask her then, because he either forgot to or didn't want to disturb her. Also, she barely listened to him because she had taken to trying to learn to fight. Raph had once lent her his sai because she had asked what they were, and she had wanted, since then, to use other weapons. Raph had managed to get some out of the weapons cupboard in the dojo, and she had fallen in love with a set of swords. She wasn't allowed to use them, so she had had to make do with a pair of sticks. He had spent one or two few evenings trying to help her use them near the lake. He wasn't the best swordsman or teacher he knew, but she had gotten the gist of using them.

The only times he could confront her about the room was when she was with Warumagi, but Raph didn't want to ask her in front of him.

Warumagi had also distanced himself from the turtle. He hadn't spoken to Raph since their meeting in his office, and Raph only heard him talk once a week when he read the announcements. This didn't really bother the turtle, because he couldn't care less about the headmaster. The man was obviously too busy to talk to one particular student.

Raph slipped out of his room and began walking in the direction of the marked room. He didn't pay too much attention to his surroundings. Occasionally he went past a pair of students. He didn't greet them, and the students didn't greet him. They had gotten over the novelty of a new student and now treated him like he had been there for years. Raph was glad of this. He hated being treated differently. It made him feel like there was something wrong with him.

After a while he slowed down his pace, eventually stopping in front of the door that belonged to the marked room. He looked at the map, before transferring his gaze to the door. He blinked, looking back down at the map, wondering whether he had taken a wrong turning. He was sure he had followed it carefully. He didn't know how he could have ended up where he was.

'Keep closed or face expulsion'.

Raph shook his head, puzzled. Katrina must have known that he had been there before. He couldn't think of any other reason that would compel her to mark the room on his map. It also meant that she wanted him to go there. He scratched his head. There was a severe punishment waiting for those who got caught in the room… yet she wanted him to go there? It didn't make sense, but nothing there made much sense so he figured that it didn't matter.

What did bother him was that Foxglove hadn't wanted him to go there.

Did that mean that she knew he had been there? If that was true, then it also meant that she knew what the room was.

He didn't understand why she didn't want him to go there. She would have loved it if he got in big trouble with Warumagi. She didn't want him to go there not because of what it was… but because of what it contained.

Raph pushed the door open and stepped inside, making sure that it shut after him. The room was just like he remembered; it was dusty, old and seemingly untouched. He went to the bookcase and began searching it for the diary.

"Stupid thin'…" he mumbled, shivering whenever he felt his hand brush over a cobweb. He hoped there weren't any spiders in there. He wasn't afraid of them; they just unnerved him a bit.

He found the diary, pulled it out and opened it at a random page. Dozens of ripped up pieces of paper showered down, spreading across the floor like a second layer of dust. He gaped at it, trying to apprehend what was happening.

"What the shell?" He bent down and picked up some of the scraps. Many of them were so small they slipped through the gaps between his fingers. He dropped the bits of paper and examined the cover of the diary.

A few of the pages remained, but unfortunately they were the ones that he had already read. He groaned, throwing the book at a wall angrily. The one thing that had made him curious about the room… had been ripped up.

He returned the diary to the bookcase, before picking the paper off the ground. There were too many for him to try and piece them back together, so he figured he would just get rid of them. After he had put away the diary, he stamped his foot. He had a good idea who had ripped it, and he planned on finding her and demanding why, though he had a rough idea why she did it.

Because it had something important written in it; something she didn't want him to read.

He went towards the door, clenching his fists. Suddenly, something wooden hit his face, sending him backwards. His elbow slammed into something, and he heard a loud crack. He spun around and saw what had made the crack sound.

The vanity's mirror was disfigured by the fracture that was now in it. Raph gulped, turning around to see who had caught him. He sighed in relief at the person at the door. "Kitty… Ya scared me for a moment."

She ignored him, her eyes falling onto the broken vanity. She pointed at it questioningly.

"Oh dat…" Raph chuckled. "Ya took me by surprise. I'm sure Warumagi won't notice. I mean, it's not like he comes here…" He furrowed his brow. "Why are you here?"

"I thought you would be here," said Katrina, walking over to him. "I saw you come here a few weeks ago and thought that you might come here again. It's a very unusual room, isn't it?"

"Yeah…" Raph found himself staring around the room, reminding himself why it was so unusual. It was the room of a dead person. That fact still freaked him out a bit.

"It used to be their bedroom before she died," explained Katrina. She didn't need to say the name of the owner in order for him to understand. "After her death, he couldn't bear to sleep here. His new sleeping quarters are on the other side of the school."

"Hey… Kitty…" said Raph. "I know ya said dat ya don't know how she died… but did ya ever meet her?"

Katrina shook her head. "She died long before the Lord found me. Now come, Raph, we should go before the Lord catches us."

Raph followed her out. He didn't have any other use for the room if the diary was unreadable. Thinking about this reminded him to go confront Foxglove. He had a suspicion that she had destroyed it, and he wanted to find out why.

"So…" He tried to not look at the paintings on the walls. "Uh… Warumagi found ya?"

"A few years ago." She bent her head, her eyes misting over slightly. "I… don't remember much, but he found me abandoned in a field. My life after that and before meeting you would take far too long to explain. The Lord came across me when I was eleven, so I've only been here for about three years."

They continued walking in silence. When they reached the lunch hall, which was full of students eating their breakfast, she scuttled away. Raph stared after her as she disappeared into another corridor. He thought that it was because she was embarrassed by his company. He didn't see why she would be, because he thought of himself as pretty popular here.

An example of his popularity made itself present. Fang saw him enter the room and left the table he was sitting at to greet him. Foxglove crossed her arms, snarling quietly. Raph glared back at her, remembering the diary that had been turned into confetti.

Fang went with him to get some food, despite the fact that Raph insisted he had already eaten. While they were waiting in the line, Fang nudged him.

"Raphael, have you… ever had a girlfriend before?"

Raph stared at him. He hadn't expected him to bring that up randomly. He shrugged. "Kinda."

"Oh?"

"There was this chick called Joi," he told Fang. "I met her at this… club."

Fang grinned. "I thought it'd be hard for a creature like you to get a girlfriend. She's human, right?"

"Right."

"Nice," chortled Fang. Raph couldn't help but think that he thought a non-human loving a human was funny. Raph scratched his chin. He hadn't really put much thought into the subject before. He didn't want to debate whether it was ethical, gross or cute, so he pointed the subject away from him.

"Why are ya askin'? Got a special someone in mind?" Raph smirked, motioning with his eyes at Foxglove. She was eating her cereal, talking to Charles.

Fang noticed this and rolled his eyes, irritated. "Pur-lease. I'd rather go out with the servant. She probably has a personality."

Raph blinked before realizing he was referring to Katrina.

Fang pressed on. "I wanted to ask you… I need your… your…"

"Help?"

He nodded. "Yeah, that word. See, Foxglove keeps hinting that we should get together. Only I don't want to get together with her. She's pretty, I'll give her that. It's just she doesn't have much else to her. She just pretends to be all tough and mean 'cos she thinks I like that sort of thing. She's like… adapting herself in an attempt to appeal me."

"Doesn't she?"

"Believe it or not, I have standards," he told him stiffly.

"Okay…" Raph wondered why Fang was telling him this.

Fang rubbed his hands together as Raph reached the front of the line and began to put some food on his tray. "This is where you come in."

"I ain't datin' her for ya."

Fang laughed. "I'm not that cruel! No... You said you had a girlfriend, right?"

"Not exactly. See, we were gonna get together but…"

This made Fang even more pleased.

"Perfect! So, what did you do so you didn't get together?"

"Hm…" Raph furrowed his brow. "We just got distant. Went our separate ways."

"So… you're saying that I should avoid Foxglove until she loses interest in me?"

Raph didn't remember saying that, but Fang was impressed at this piece of advice so he just nodded.

"Cool." Fang grinned as he and Raph went to find a place to sit down at. "Hey, how about we sit at that table over there?" He pointed. "There ain't enough room for Foxglove to sit there with us."

"Sure, but I just wanna tell her somethin'," said Raph. "I'll join ya in a moment."

Fang shrugged and went over to the table. Raph grinned at his retreating back. He liked how little questions Fang asked about his actions. They were going to get on very well. It was a nice change from living with his nosy family.

_Family… _Raph blinked. He wondered what they were doing right now. Leonardo would have already eaten his breakfast by now. Was he meditating, or was he watching the news? Was Michelangelo eating his breakfast, or was he still in bed? Was Donatello in his lab, or was he watching the news as well? There was something infuriating about not knowing what they were doing. For all he knew, he was completely wrong.

"Are you just going to stand there looking gormless, or have you got a reason as to why you're catching flies with your mouth?" asked Foxglove. Raph had reached her table without him realizing. Charles waved at him, balancing a spoon on his beak. "And where's Fang?"

"He went to eat over there. Charles, he wants ya to go sit with him." Charles followed his outstretched finger and left the table. It didn't appear that Charles asked many questions about what he was told to do either. Now Charles was gone, Foxglove and Raph were alone, staring at each other.

"What do you want," asked Foxglove, "apart from wanting to annoy me?"

"Ya know that room on the map I had? Ya said it didn't mean anythin'."

"It… it doesn't."

"I've been there and I know what's in it, so lezz not play games," Raph snarled, showing the map to her and poking the room. "Lady Warumagi's diary. Why did ya rip it up?"

Foxglove blinked, confused. "Diary? What diary?"

"Don't play dumb, though I ain't sure whether ya are or if ya always this dumb." Raph slammed his hands onto the table. "Lady Warumagi had a diary in dat room. I found it ripped up so I couldn't read it."

Foxglove cocked an eyebrow. "I didn't know that reading dead people's personal belongings was acceptable."

"Don't try and change the subject. What are ya hidin'?"

"Hiding? Why would I be hiding something?"

Raph laughed sardonically. "Dat's what I want to know. What's in that diary dat's so bad? Why didn't ya want me to read it?"

"How charming; you've jumped to the conclusion that I knew anything about that diary." She got up, slamming her hands onto the table. "I don't know what you're talking about. Okay, I know what's in the room. I admit that .When I was twelve, I went in there because I had nothing better to do. But a diary? I didn't know anything about it, okay?"

"How can I trust ya?" asked Raph. "Yer the only other person who's been in there."

Foxglove's voice was quiet but deadly. "Don't trust me then. You can believe what you want for all I care, but it won't change the truth in any way."

She left the lunch hall, dumping her tray in the bin. Raph groaned, going over to Fang's table.

If she was telling the truth… then who _did_ rip it up?


	9. The Start of Something Bad

**Raph's spelling isn't the best. :(**

* * *

Raphael was in the dojo, seemingly by himself. The lighting in the room highlighted the creases in the punching bag he was hitting, making it look like it was leering at him. He leaped back and watched it sway, reminded of a metronome. He growled, launching forwards and stabbing it with his sai. Sand spilled onto the floor slowly. He breathed deeply, watching it fall.

It was Monday morning. Before coming here, he had never taken too much notice of the day. He hadn't really needed to. Back home, most of his days had been pretty similar. Get up. Have breakfast. Train. Meditate. Patrol. He had more free time at the weekend than during the week. That's what he split the seven days into. Week and weekend.

Here, it was different. He had certain lessons on various days. None of the days he had during the week were the same. Saturday was a day of relaxation. Sunday was a morning of peace and an evening of undone homework. He knew the days of the week off the top of his head now.

He withdrew his sai, causing more sand to pour out. He watched the leather punching bag collapse into itself, until it was a baggy piece of material hanging from a metal chain. He breathed out slowly, stretching out his arms. He felt better now. A lot better.

"Raphael?"

Raph jumped, turning towards the source of the voice. Blossom was standing at the dojo's entrance, gripping the doorway tightly. He exhaled in relief. She smiled at him, walking in.

"Blossom." He nodded at her. "Yer up early... Shell, I'm up early."

"I know," she replied. "I went to check to see if you'd broken your alarm clock but you weren't in your room, and the clock was still in one piece. I thought you would be in here. Why are you up so early?"

"I couldn't sleep. Why are you up so early?"

"I couldn't sleep either."

"Oh? Why not?"

She giggled, even though he hadn't said a joke or something embarrassing. It sounded like it was forced. "I had a bad dream. It…" She stopped and Raph could see a pained expression on her face.

He gazed at her, concerned. "What happened in it?"

She shook her head, her face scrunching up. "N-Nothing."

"Tell me what happened."

"I-I said nothing."

"And I'm the tooth fairy." He grabbed her shoulders. "What happened?"

He pushed her downwards so she was sitting on the floor. He didn't know what to do. He wasn't used to people falling apart and crying. It made him feel uncomfortable. He settled himself next to her on the floor, not commenting when she leaned her head against his shoulder and covered her face. He waited for her to calm down.

She stopped crying and looked up at him tearfully. "If… If I tell you… Promise… you won't laugh at me. Maybe... you can tell me what it means."

"Geez Blossom, if it's makin' ya act like dat I don't see how it can be funny."

"Okay…" she breathed deeply. "In my dream, I was in this… white corridor. I… don't know why, but everything looked really big. I reached the end… and there was this door. I opened the door… and there was this other room, which I went into… then I was in this dark room. I was scared so I tried to leave… but a m-monster blocked m-my way. I tried to get past it but it… it was like a sh-shadow… It consumed me and I was drowning… I couldn't breathe. I was melting and I… I turned into the shadow."

Raph took it in and let her recover from recalling the dream. He didn't interpret dreams on a regular basis (or at all), but he decided that he should at least give it a shot. "Ya were dreamin'. Ya have to realize that it never happened, 'kay?"

She nodded somewhat reluctantly, like a part of her refused to believe that it meant nothing. "It has to mean something, though."

"Uh… I think… ya dreamed dat… 'cos yer scared." He was making it up for all he was worth. He couldn't just tell her that he didn't know what provoked her to have that dream. It would probably scare her, not knowing anything. "Ya were in a white room… white is like calmness and… knowledge. Yeah. But ya left it and went into the dark… Ya can't see in the dark… so… ya were scared. Then ya became the shadow…" He scratched his chin. "In the white place, ya were comfortable with who ya were bein'… but ya left 'cos… 'cos ya wanted to be somethin' else… only ya weren't, and ya became the shadow… someone else…"

There was silence.

She lifted her head and stared at him. "Wow, Raphael. That was… amazing."

"What?"

"You knew so much about me…" she squeezed her kneecaps. "Some of the stuff you said I haven't told anyone."

"What stuff?"

She looked away sadly. "Just… everything."

He couldn't help but feel proud of himself. If interpreting dreams was so easy, he was tempted to make a hobby out of it. Then he could trick Michelangelo and make Leonardo jealous. Breaking out of his very short daydream, he looked back at Blossom. She still seemed troubled.

He patted her shoulder. "Come on, it ain't like ya to be so down. Yer usually so…" He tried to find a suitable word. "… Happy."

"I can be happy, but sometimes I'm not. I… I just pretend that everything's alright. I'm scared, Raphael. I'm really scared. But if I get scared then everyone will get scared. Someone has to pretend that everything's alright."

"What's there ta be scared of? Isn't everythin' alright?" he asked her.

He was perfectly aware that everything wasn't normal, and that wasn't taking into account the students and the school in the middle of nowhere. There were the paintings on the walls, for starters. He had nothing against mourning deceased loved ones, but he was slightly creeped out by the amount of paintings Warumagi had of his family.

Then, there was Lady Warumagi's room. He could still visualize the diary's pages raining down onto the ground. Whoever had destroyed it knew he had been there and didn't want him to read it.

There were also the students. He had seen some students leave the school, and another would leave in about an hour. He hated how uncaring everyone appeared to be. They said goodbye and never spoke about the graduates again. They rarely queried anything.

_'Someone has to pretend that everything's alright.'_

"Maybe... I don't know," she lied quietly, staring into nothing.

Raph got to his feet, grabbing Blossom's hands and pulling her up. "When I think the world's against me, and trust me when I say dat I get dat a lot, I find dat takin' it all out physically really helps."

She nodded slowly. "… Physically?"

"Yer smart, don't ya know what dat means?"

"I know what it means… I just don't understand what you mean_ by_ it."

"I kinda broke the bag." He jerked his thumb towards the deflated excuse of a punching bag. "So how about I teach ya some moves?"

"I didn't know you danced."

He narrowed his eyes. "I don't dance."

"Everyone can dance, Raphael. Did you know that before this was a dojo, it was a dance studio? The Lord mentioned it once."

He wasn't sure whether she was doing this on purpose, but he decided to play along for now. "I must be an exception. I can't dance. I have two left feet."

"No you don't," she told him. "I can help you dance. Come on."

He started to protest but she grabbed his hands, ignoring him. "One of your hands goes on my shoulder, and the other holds my hand." She moved his hands accordingly. "And my free hand goes onto your shoulder. It would be easier if we had music… do you know what a waltz is?"

"It's ain't some lumps on yer foot, is it?"

She giggled. "Not warts. _Waltz. _It goes 'one, two three. One, two three'."

"Before we start, can I ask why ya suddenly wanna dance the warts?"

"_Waltz. _And because, Raphael, it is a very good way of escaping from life. Fighting an inanimate object is all well and dandy, but you don't need to concentrate all that much. It's easy to remember why you're fighting. When you dance, there are the steps you need to focus on... Besides, I really don't like fighting. It would make me feel horrible." She looked at him. "Please, Raphael. Can't we dance for a little bit?"

He groaned. Though if it made her stop crying... "Fine. Only 'cos it's you. But if any of this gets out I'm gonna…" She gazed at him. "... be annoyed."

She rested a finger on her beak and nodded, before placing it back onto his shoulder. "Okay, now we cross our legs."

She crossed her legs. Raph copied her, wobbling slightly.

"Make sure your toes are pointing outwards."

He did so, feeling stupid.

"Now we move our front leg forwards. When you do that, move your arm here and I-"

"Look, Blossom," he said impatiently. "How about we dance my way?"

"You said you didn't da-aance!"

He pulled her along and they spiralled around the room. Raph had no idea what he was doing, and he was sure Blossom didn't know what he was doing either, but they continued going round and round. At one point, she raised her arm and Raph's with it, before letting go of his shoulder and spinning under the arch they had created. Then, she put her hand back onto his shoulder, grinning.

"I'm not gonna be able to top dat, unless ya want me to pick ya up and throw ya in the air," smirked Raph.

"I'd rather you didn't," said Blossom, quickly letting go of him. "See? Wasn't that fun?"

"But we didn't do it properly," Raph told her.

"You can never dance wrong, Raphael," she stated. "Now come on. Let's go get something to eat."

Raph followed her out and they went to the lunch hall. It was nearly full, and by the time they got their food there were only a few spaces left. They spotted two free spaces opposite Fang and a mouse hybrid Raph didn't know the name of. Foxglove was eating a fair distance away, a clear space around her. She ignored the fact that no one wanted to sit near her, looking like she was glad that she was all alone.

_Don't feel sorry for her, Raph. She wouldn't be alone if she wasn't such a jerk._

"Hey, Raphael." Raph turned to Fang. "I want you to meet Squee."

He patted the mouse hybrid on the shoulder. She giggled.

"Is she new here?" asked Raph.

"Nah, we rarely get any new students. She's been in our class for ages but I've never paid much attention to her before." Fang bared his teeth. "What an idiot I've been, eh?"

Squee giggled.

"Hey, be a doll and get me some water. You know… the clear stuff. And put it in a red cup." He winked at her. This made her giggle again. She got up and went to the serving hatch.

Raph gave Fang a sceptical look. "Doesn't say much, does she?"

Fang shook his head. "Quiet as a mouse… ha ha. I think it's because she doesn't know enough words to form a sentence."

"Yer pretendin' that she's yer girlfriend to make Foxglove lose interest in ya, aren't you?"

Fang leaned back in his chair. "It's that obvious?"

"Yeah."

Blossom stared at him in shock. "You're using Squee to help you get Foxglove off your back? That's… horrible!"

Fang opened his mouth to answer but Lord Warumagi's voice boomed out of the speaker.

"Good morning, everyone. It's time for the weekly announcements. Football club has been cancelled today due to all the footballs mysteriously turning pink and flat over night."

Charles high-fived a lemur hybrid.

"It will be on tomorrow instead, after Charles and Laurence have cleaned them straight after dinner in the sport's hall tonight."

"Real smooth," chuckled Fang, slapping Charles on the back.

"How did he know ya did it?" asked Raph.

Charles shook his head, a forced grin on his face. "Dunno. He has eyes in the back of his head or something."

"Security cameras, probably," Laurence the lemur hybrid piped up.

"There weren't any there. We checked, remember?"

"Maybe we missed one."

"Now it's the moment I'm sure you have been eagerly anticipating. It's time for me to announce who has graduated. This week's lucky Human Hybrid is…"

The same silence as before filled the room.

"Squee!"

"Oh, you're kidding me," Fang said, his voice barely audible over the loud cheers. "You have got to be kidding me."

Squee, who had been walking back with a plastic cup of water, jumped and dropped it. Raph stayed where he was with Blossom and Fang as everyone else ran over to her to congratulate her. Squee nodded at everyone wordlessly.

"She'll do her little speech in a minute, if she doesn't just giggle," remarked Fang. "Honestly, I finally find the perfect hybrid to use for my plan and she leaves. Who am I gonna use now? No one's as brainless and stupid as her."

The cheers died down and everyone's eyes fell onto Squee, including Raph's. She gazed around, a broad grin on her face. Everyone smiled back, equally as wide.

"T'ank God," she said in a surprisingly gruff voice. "Ya don't know 'ow lon' I've bin waitin' ta getta way from ya losers. I've bin goin' crazy wit' ya pile of dunces. Now finally I can getta 'ell outta 'ere."

She walked out of the silent lunch hall.

TMNTNMT

"That was… weird," Raph said as they sat down at their desks in the hall. "I didn't see dat comin'."

"She…" Fang's mouth was hanging open. Raph wasn't sure whether it had closed since she had left. "She… Since when was she like… like that?"

Charles cackled darkly. "You sound like you're pining for her."

Fang's mouth shut at that. He glared at him. "Very funny. It's just… she's always so quiet. I didn't know that she was really like THAT. Dang, it would be like going out with Foxglove… dang."

"Don't judge a book by its cover," commented Raph, looking at Blossom. "There's probably more to it than meets the eye."

Foxglove, who was sitting in the row in front of them, turned around. "I couldn't help overhearing your conversation…"

'_Bet ya could,' _thought Raph.

"… But I totally agree with you," she finished. "First impressions are important, but they're not everything."

Raph was surprised. She… was agreeing with him?

"Someone got out of the right side of bed for once," said Charles, earning himself a few harsh laughs.

"Shut up," Foxglove curled her mouth. Raph relaxed. She wasn't an imposter posing as Foxglove after all. "Anyway, I'm glad she's gone. If she was like that, then it's a good thing she's not here anymore."

"Why do you think she's like that?" asked Blossom. She didn't sound curious, but like she had a point to make.

Foxglove looked at her like she was an idiot. "Um… because she was born that way?"

More laughs echoed around the hall. Foxglove smiled at the attention.

"Maybe it's because she was shy," said Blossom. "Everyone thought she was stupid, but she obviously wasn't if she graduated. She was upset and angry because we all thought she was something she wasn't. It built up and up and up until it escaped through the cracks and… boom! It was all let out. Maybe she would have said something nice if we had treated her nicely."

"Yeah, maybe," said Fang, half-listening.

Wol entered the hall so everyone fell silent. Foxglove glared at her for a few more moments before facing the front.

While Wol talked, Raph ripped a piece of paper out of his notebook (which Blossom gave him to use permanently) and scribbled something onto it. Then, he put it on Blossom's desk and faced the front, trying to listen to Wol talk about something being inversely proportional to something squared.

Blossom picked up the note and read it quickly, smiling.

_You owned Foxglove hard_

She looked both ways before writing something underneath it. She put it back on Raph's desk and listened to Wol say something about finding the multiplier.

Raph read what she had written, observing how neat and fancy her handwriting was.

_Thanks, but I bet she's going to make me regret it._

Raph passed her the note.

_If she wants to do that she has to get thru me first  
_

She passed it back.

_Ha ha, thanks. But she can be very cunning… like a fox._

Raph passed it back.

_She is a fox_

She passed it back.

_I knew that. So, Raphael, what are you doing after lunch?_

Raph passed it back.

_We have a practicall lesson, right? That's what I'm doing. And call me Raph_

She passed it back.

_Okay… Raph. After dinner do you want to go to the dojo and show me some of your moves? And then maybe I can show you some of mine.  
_

Raph read it and chuckled. He wasn't sure whether she had written the innuendo on purpose or not.

"Raphael, Blossom; I hate to interrupt whatever you're doing…" Raph and Blossom looked at Wol, who had his wings on his hips. He had heard Raph's outburst and was frowning heavily. "... But this isn't the time nor the place for this sort of thing. Now give me that note."

Raph read Blossom's last comment again and stuffed the piece of paper into his mouth, before swallowing it. The students burst out laughing, clapping furiously. Foxglove saw Fang guffawing and smiled, forcing herself to giggle at Raph's action.

Wol was the only one who made it clear that he was not amused. "I'm watching you, Raphael. Get back to work please."

He continued the lecture. Raph glowered at him. Blossom ripped out a piece of paper from her notebook discreetly and wrote something down. She passed it to him. Raph waited until Wol had turned around before reading it.

_What was so funny? I don't get it… Did I write something funny?  
_

He wrote something on it and passed it back.

_I'll… tell you later_

* * *

**I wish I was as cool as Squee. :(**_  
_


	10. The Start of Something Sinister

The cool air washed over Raphael's face like the lake did to his feet. Evening was falling quickly and the Sun was slowly sinking into the horizon.

It was one of the rare moments he got to share with Katrina. The dojo was being used by a karate class and he hadn't fancied going to the library with Blossom, so they had parted ways and he had ended up outside. Katrina had been there before him, playing with two wooden sticks. After a brief 'hello', he had lain down and Katrina had continued striking the air with her sticks, like they were a pair of weapons.

She was pretty good with them. She wasn't as good as him or his brothers, for she wobbled slightly and didn't know any fighting stances, but he reckoned that with proper training she could be quite skilled with them. He wasn't sure that two small branches were very efficient weapons (though Donatello and Master Splinter would probably disagree), but still… she was getting the hang of using them. After them, she could go onto other weapons. You had to start somewhere, and if it was with some sticks from a tree then so be it.

A stick hit him on the back of the head before shooting across the grass and landing at Katrina's feet. He sighed, looking over his shoulder at her. She smiled at him apologetically.

"If I was a student, I would be allowed to use real weapons. They are able to receive extra lessons and become qualified with them," declared Katrina, dropping the other stick onto the ground. "Sticks aren't very… sufficient."

Raph grinned, his eyes closed. "It ain't the weapon. It's the person usin' them."

A long ago memory of Splinter telling this to Leonardo made itself present at the front of his mind.

Katrina frowned. "But _surely_ the weapon has some impact on the overall skill of the wielder."

"Nope. I know two people who can use sticks very well. Ya practice with them and then I'll get ya some real ones from the dojo."

She narrowed her eyes, bending down to pick up the sticks. "I shouldn't have to be confined to using these. I could get myself some proper weapons, if I wanted to."

"Do it then."

"I would." She looked sideways in anger and sadness. "But the Lord would punish me if he found out. I… I have used some before, you know. Swords. A year ago. I snuck into the weapon's closet and played around with them. The Lord caught me and punished me very badly. I haven't dared to take some since, but sometimes... sometimes I really want to. Just to get the feeling of being able to hurt someone... not to cause pain, but to make a mark on someone... so I would be remembered- so I would be someone who did something... However, the punishment..."

She stopped, looking worried.

"On a scale of one to ten, where did the punishment lie?" he asked.

"He…" she shook her head, hearing a ringing between her ears. "I would say te-four. Four."

Raph knew it was an understatement, but he also knew that she had made the number low so he wouldn't be bothered by it. He was, but he didn't want to force her to say anything she didn't want to. He shrugged his shoulders and continued soaking in the heat while it was still there. Katrina began trying some of the katas he had shown her earlier.

After ten minutes, Katrina threw her sticks away, sitting down next to the mutant turtle's body. The stillness of his body had caught her attention, as well as the crease in his forehead. She resisted the temptation to smooth it with her hands, knowing that doing so would not alter his expression into a relaxed one. She stared at the lake. "You look… troubled."

Raph opened his eyes. "Troubled?"

"Yes. Has something bothered you recently?"

"A few somethings."

"What things?"

"Oh… the usual. Foxglove… the diary… Blossom… school… life in general."

"I thought you got on well with Blossom. On my way to the Lord's office this morning I saw you two _dancing _in the dojo."

Raph sat up, blushing. He had hoped that no one had seen them. Raphael… the ninja ballerina? It didn't have a nice ring to it. "We do get on, most of the time. It's just… she had a bad dream and she said somethin' about pretendin' to be happy sometimes. She says someone has to or else everyone will get scared. She got all upset and I didn't know what to do. Then she wanted to dance. I dunno how she cheered up so quickly. One minute she was bawlin' and the next she was tryin' to teach me to warts. I mean waltz."

"Oh." Katrina breathed out, placing her knees against her chest. "Well… how do you know she cheered up? Maybe it was an act because she didn't want you to be scared."

Raph laughed hollowly. "What do I have to be scared of?"

Katrina shivered in the heat."Everything."

Raph didn't reply. He lay on his stomach and stared into the distance. Katrina got up and picked up her sticks, before practicing with them again. She threw them into the air and caught them when they fell back down. Raph turned his head to watch her. Not only did she throw them high, she also caught them pretty easily. He remembered when he had been in Warumagi's office a few weeks ago, and how Katrina had jumped and caught his empty glass effortlessly.

"Hey, Kitty, how come yer so good at throwin' and catchin'?"

"It's a talent." She shrugged her shoulders. "Anyway, I'm sure things will get better. As for Foxglove, she has a reputation for being a…"

She tried to think of a suitable word. Raph could think of many adjectives, but he didn't think they were very appropriate to say in front of her. He chose the best one that wouldn't have earned a hit on the head from his sensei.

"Jerk?"

She nodded. "Yes, that's it."

"I don't suppose ya have any idea who ripped up the diary?" he asked, looking up at the sky. "Then maybe at least one of ma problems would go away."

"No," said Katrina hurriedly. "I don't think it matters. It's ripped, it's ripped. There isn't anything you can do to change that. Now, tell me whether I'm doing it right."

She began to bash the air madly, before stabbing the stick into the ground. She looked at Raph, who had sat up and was now staring at her with his arms crossed.

"Is there somethin' yer ain't tellin' me, Katrina?" he queried.

"No, of course not," she said. "Oh look! The sun's going down. I should be going now. The Lord will be wondering where I am. See you tomorrow, maybe. Bye!"

She ran across the fields and made her way towards the school, shrinking and darkening until she was a speck on the landscape. Raph watched the black speck disappear into the main building, before resting his chin on the grass. It tickled his bare skin, so he lifted his head and put it on a bare spot of dirt. He closed his eyes, realizing how light his body felt now the Sun wasn't so high in the sky. Feeling comfortable, he began thinking. He thought about all the problems he had told Katrina, as well as the ones he hadn't. It was like counting sheep.

And, like the consequence of doing that, he drifted off to sleep.

TMNTNMT

He woke up. The sky was nearly pitch black. He tried to remember when it had gotten so dark but infuriatingly found that he didn't know. He came to the conclusion that he had fallen asleep, which ticked him off. He hadn't meant to fall asleep. He got up, stretching his arms in a yawn.

"Ooh, you're awake now."

He jumped, spinning 180 degrees in the process. Behind the tree next to the lake was the gently swaying tail of something orange.

Something fox orange.

Raph marched around the tree and wasn't surprised at who he saw. Foxglove smiled at him innocently, holding her hands in front of her chest.

He glowered at her. "Foxglove, what are ya doin' here?"

She smirked. "Is it a crime to stand here? Is it illegal?"

Raph grinned, putting his hands behind his head. "Oh, I get it now. Ya don't wanna admit that ya were stalkin' me. I get ya; ya don't have to say it."

His remark had the desired effect.

"Why would I want to stalk _you_?" she half shouted, clenching her fists. "If you must know, I was waiting for you to wake up."

Raph raised his brow. "Ya know how stalkerish that sounds, right?"

Foxglove gritted her teeth. "Oh, ha ha. Don't think for a second that I wanted to be here, waiting for you to wake up. I'm only here because I wanted to get some things sorted out."

"Sure…" he snickered, "And it just couldn't wait until the morning. No… it had to be now."

"In the morning you'll have your groupies with you. I want to talk to you and only you. I was on my way to my room when I saw you go out to see the servant-"

"She has a name, ya know."

"-servant," she continued, ignoring his interruption. "Then, I saw her leave and go away. I saw you lying down. I left the school and decided to wait behind this tree. You snore, did you know that?"

Raph narrowed his eyes. "Look, if ya have somethin' ya so desperately need to tell me, tell me so I don't have to listen to ya say it. I haven't got all day."

Foxglove poked him. "Okay. You know that I brought you here and stuff? Well, I had researched New York very well, planning for my trip. Then you had to go and get yourself beaten up by those Purple Dragon guys while I was nearby. I took you back with me, thinking that doing so would solve everything."

Raph started to say something but she raised her voice over his.

"Shut up and let me finish speaking. I thought that if I took you to the Lord, I would be able to leave this place. I thought he would graduate me and let me move on. But no, you had… you had…" She waved her arms, unable to find the word for what she wanted to describe.

"I had what?" he said quietly.

"You had… to be you," she finished. "When I found you… I thought you were somebody else."

She bowed her head forwards, reminding Raph of a disobedient child who had just been sent to time-out. He stared at her, before gulping and finding his voice once more. It came out mostly casual, but there was an underlying tone of curiosity.

"Ya thought… I was someone else?"

She nodded dumbly.

He couldn't repress the smile that was spreading onto his face. "So ya were lookin' for _another_ giant turtle? How'd ya mess that one up?"

"Argh." She marched off, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "You're impossible. I never wanted you to come here. All you've done is make everyone hate me. I should have left you there to die."

He went after her, wanting to know who she had mistook him for. In any case, he didn't want to leave the conversation in her favour. "Hey, I didn't do anythin'. They hated ya before I came here."

"No, they didn't." She sprinted off. Raph grinned, seeing this as a competition. He passed her within ten seconds and reached the door of the main building first. He chuckled, putting his hand on the handle of the door and pulling it. He frowned, tugging at it again. He pressed one of his feet against it and pulled for all he was worth. He was still trying to open it when Foxglove caught up with him, steam practically coming out of her ears.

She shoved him out of the way. "This is a woman's job."

She gripped the handle tightly and threw her weight back. She lost her balance and landed on her back. Moaning, she sat up and narrowed her eyes hatefully at the unmoved door. Raph didn't try to hide his smug expression. She got to her feet and pulled the door handle gently, as if she thought reverse psychology would work on the inanimate object.

"It's locked," she admitted.

"Really?" he exclaimed sarcastically. "Nothin' gets by ya, does it?"

"It's not funny. Do you know that we're gonna be dead meat when it's morning? We're not allowed to be outside at this time. It's against the rules."

Raph raised his brow. "Didn't ya go outside when ya kidnapped me?"

"I didn't kidnap you. Firstly, if I'd left you, those Purple Dragons would have woken up and taken you to their hideout or something. I pitied you. Secondly, I had to take you back with me because… the person I did want… they would have made me graduate and then I could have gone and found people who did like me. The Lord let me off expulsion because you were _you. _If I hadn't brought you back with me… Fang and I would have been expelled. I knew this wolf hybrid called Silver and he snuck out to buy me chocolate… he was real sweet like that… but he got caught and was expelled. I never saw him again."

"What happens if yer expelled? Ya can't leave the school without the teleporter."

Foxglove sighed, her eyes unfocussed. She shook herself and glared at him. "I don't want to find out, okay?"

"And why would he expel ya for goin' outside? I woulda thought he'd give you detention or somethin'. Expulsion is a bit… extreme."

An inhuman growl sounded in the distance. They looked at each other.

"Hey, dat wouldn't happen to be yer stomach rumblin', would it?"

"Don't be stupid," she snapped, but with less fervour in her voice than before.

Something caught her eye. She slowly raised her hand and pointing at something in the distance. Confused, Raph looked at her horrified face. His gaze went down her face and onto her right shoulder, before crawling up her arm and falling onto a space near the lake.

A large and dark creature was walking about, with what appeared to be its snout pointing upwards. It froze, trying to figure out where the enticing smell of flesh was originating from. Raph nudged Foxglove and murmured, "If it comes towards us, we gotta run like mad. Don't scream 'cos dat might provoke it."

After not getting a reply, he turned his head to see that she was no longer next to him. He spun around and found her banging her fists against the door. He looked back at the creature, which was slowly going towards them.

He got out his sai.

So much for stealth.

"There's a monster!" she screamed at the door. "Someone open this. Now!"

At any other moment, he would have laughed at her behaviour. Now though, he looked at her and stated seriously, "Doors can't open by themselves. Ya have to calm down."

"It's easy for you to tell me to freaking calm down when you're the one with the blades. What am I meant to fight it off with? My _mind_? Or how about I fight it off with my feminine charms?"

"Ya can't fight it off with things you ain't got," he muttered, positioning himself into a fighting stance. Foxglove stood behind him, watching the creature get closer and closer to the point where she could make out its smaller details under the light of the moon.

It was approximately ten feet tall, towering over the pair of them. Under its dark brown fur were thick heavy muscles that made the circumference of its arms look the size of dinner plates. Its eyes contained something that was too savage to be life, which was also promoted by the jagged claws on the ends of its fingers. It sniffed, opening its triangle filled mouth, which leaked out water that oozed down its chin. Raph could feel its hot breath, despite being a fair few yards away. It stopped, lowering its head slowly and peering at them.

"Don't… move…" hissed Raph. "One false move and ya will provoke it."

"I'm not going anywhere," she reassured him in a higher voice than usual.

The creature raised its fist and pummelled the ground, aiming at Raph. He jumped backwards, nearly landing on Foxglove. He ran forwards and kicked it from beneath the chin. The creature snarled, whacking its face, thinking that a fly had landed on it. Raph backed away so he was standing next to Foxglove.

"Can we run now?"

"No," he snapped, catching its oncoming claws with his sai. He tried to twist its arm, but it removed its hand and punched at him. Raph grabbed Foxglove and rolled out of the way. The creature's fist went through the door, creating a large hole in it. It pulled its fist out and shook its head, the large amount of fur on its head shaking. It looked a bit like a mane.

The two students got off the ground and stared at the hole.

She turned to him. "Now can we run?"

"No," he scowled, jumping at the creature.

Foxglove rolled her eyes and leaned against the door. "Suit yourself."

The creature swung its fist at Raph, who ducked out of the way. He slammed his sai into its right cheek, causing it to stumble and fall over. It lay on the ground, unusually still.

Foxglove moved towards it slowly. "Is it… dead?"

"I doubt it," he told her, panting. "Ya might wanna stay away from it, in case it wakes up and attacks ya."

"You just knocked it out, it's not going to wake up any time soon," she retorted, poking it with her foot. "See? It's asleep."

"Foxglove, I wouldn't do dat," he said angrily. If she did something stupid and hurt herself, he knew that he would get the blame.

"Who are you, my mom?" she retorted defiantly. "I think I can tell when a monster's asleep, so why don't you just shut the-"

The creature's arm rose abruptly and whacked Foxglove in the face. Her body was flung through the air, and she hit the wall of the school building. The creature got to its feet and looked up, roaring ferociously.

"Are ya alright?" asked Raph, going to her side and helping her up. "Did he hurt ya?"

"Why would you care?" she asked thickly, sounding like she had a nosebleed.

"I'm not exactly yer best friend, but I'm not a cold-hearted monster," he told her, putting her arm around his shoulder. She leant heavily on him, which told him that she had more than a mere nosebleed.

"I can walk," she insisted, moving away from him and looking at the door. She eyed the hole in the door nervously, before looking back at him calmly. "Can we run away now, or do you want to wait until it kills one of us?"

Raph exhaled. He didn't like running from fights. It wasn't his style. However, he didn't want to see what would happen if the punch in the door went through him. And… he didn't want Foxglove to get even more hurt. "That… might be a good idea."

He let Foxglove go through the hole first, distracting the monster by hitting it lightly and jumping back. When he was sure that she had escaped through it, he went after her. To his surprise, she was waiting for him on the other side.

Raph tilted his head to one side. "Yer still here?"

She mimicked his gesture, not wanting to admit that she had wanted to make sure that he was alright. "Why wouldn't I be?"

He motioned towards the monster that had just stuck its arm through the door, before smashing it and stepping inside.

"Oh... Good point." She ran away, Raph close on her tail. He could have sped up, but he didn't want to leave Foxglove behind. He didn't like her, but he didn't want her to be eaten by a rampaging monster.

Foxglove suddenly stopped, spinning around and facing the monster. Raph skidded to a halt, looking at her as if she was mad. He decided to express this. "What are ya doin'? You were the one dat wanted to run away from it so much."

"We can't lead it into the school, idiot." She raised her fist, knowing that she didn't have a chance in hell of being able to put up a fair fight against it. "Suppose it wants to have a student sandwich?"

"I was under the impression ya didn't really like any of the students."

"There's Fang, remember?" she said, watching the creature approach them slowly. "I… I just don't want him to get hurt."

She felt something land on her shoulder. She jumped, surprised to see Raph's hand resting on her shoulder. "He doesn't happen to be like dat Silver dude ya talked about earlier, does he?"

She shook her head. "They're completely different." She lowered her gaze. "Silver liked me, for one thing."

Raph went past her and began fighting the creature. Although it was far stronger than him, Raph was a lot quicker and managed to land many blows on it. The creature, its rage building from being hit so easily, suddenly stuck out its fist and smashed it into Raph's chest. The turtle flew backwards and landed at Foxglove's feet. She looked behind her. She could have run. She could have run as fast as she could and left the creature to take care of Raph. What had he done to help her? He had only made things worse.

Yet…

She couldn't bring herself to escape.

She fell to her knees next to him. Raph peered up at her in pain. "Hey… why aren't ya runnin' for yer life?"

"Do you want me to feel bad for the rest of my life?" she asked him, before adding quickly, "Blossom would never let me forget this. Honestly, it'd be so much easier if I die here with you."

"Sure…"

"Shut up."

The creature jumped forwards, baring it teeth at its two victims.

"Hey, Raphael?"

"Yeah?"

"I always thought… you were kinda cool."

"Yeah… I thought I was kinda cool too." He grinned.

"Idiot," she growled, smiling slightly.


	11. The Start of Something Tedious

The scene in front of Raphael seemed to be in slow motion, like it was a dramatic part of an action movie. Also, you know when your whole life plays out in front of you, and it's summed it up in a very short and crude slideshow just before you die?

That didn't happen.

He had been waiting for the creature's claws to rip into his flesh. He had raised his arms defensively, getting ready for its attack. It had been so close he could have counted each individual hair on its skin if he had wanted to. He could have studied its claws, and seen how grey and ragged they were. He could have seen many things, but he doubted that it was the appropriate time to examine a monster that was about to kill him.

The lights turned on.

He watched the creature get a foot away from his face, before it was pushed sideways, smashing into a nearby wall. Raph blinked, watching in disbelief as the creature slivered down the wall and onto the ground, its head lulling forwards as it fell into unconsciousness. He must have nearly knocked it out, and whoever had come to his rescue must have finished it off. He looked up to see who had come to their rescue before feeling his stomach drop slightly.

The person who had kicked the creature, while being a surprise, was not what had made his stomach drop. The person was small and weak looking. She appeared far too frail to have been able to land any kind of damage. But there was Katrina, standing right in front of him. He lowered his gaze, transferring it to the person next to her.

First, he saw the other person's shiny black shoes. Above them there were legs, however they were hidden behind a large cloak. He raised his eyes and stared into the headmaster's. Raph didn't know why he was so worried about being expelled. Before, he had purposely gone into a room where just existing in it would have gotten him kicked out. He hadn't feared the punishment at all. Yet, now that he was in the presence of the man who had the ability to deal with the crime in whatever way he wanted… he didn't feel so sure of himself.

What if Warumagi's way of punishing him was to force him to stay there longer than necessary? What would become of Foxglove? He didn't care that he cared about what would happen to her anymore. Nearly dying with her had made him change his mind about that.

It was very peculiar how a large monster could change the way you saw someone.

Warumagi broke eye contact with Raph first, staring straight ahead. "Get up."

Raph found himself obeying him. Foxglove got to her feet too, biting her upper lip nervously. Katrina smiled at Raph sadly, understanding what he was feeling and knowing what he thought was going to happen.

"My office. Now." Warumagi walked off. The two teenagers looked at each other before following him from behind, wary expressions on their faces. Katrina walked beside the headmaster, taking a few steps for every stride he took. The two students didn't have the heart to converse with one another, both already knowing and not knowing the same things.

Raph could imagine his next letter home, telling his family that he had been expelled for being out late. He knew he couldn't lie to them and say everything was alright. He could lie to many people, but he could never lie to his sensei, even if it wasn't to his face. It wouldn't feel right and he knew that Master Splinter would find out what really happened. He had a knack for it.

Foxglove looked back at the monster. "Shouldn't we move it? It might wake up."

"Wol is on his way right now," explained Warumagi sharply. "I called him when my security cameras picked up some disturbance."

They reached the corridor that branched off into Warumagi's one. Raph couldn't help but feel that they had reached it all too soon. They went down it and Warumagi unlocked one of the doors. They entered the painting packed hallway in silence. The lights were on, but it was dim. Foxglove stared at the paintings, hating how their eyes were seemingly watching her. Raph had a similar feeling.

They reached the end and went into his office. It was far brighter than the other rooms and it burned their eyes. As soon as they entered, Katrina stood at the back of the office. She gave Raph a tiny smile as Warumagi sat down behind his desk. Wordlessly, he pointed to the two chairs in front of him. Raph could see blood around Foxglove's nose, and she was holding her right arm. She saw him looking and let go quickly.

The two students seated themselves cautiously, not daring to breathe too much. The future and the past made their voices catch in their throats.

Warumagi leaned forwards and stared at them with his black eyes. "You have some explaining to do."

The build-up of speech in his voice box suddenly erupted and Raph blurted out, "Yer the one who's got some explainin' to do."

Warumagi raised his eyebrows at his confidence. "Oh?"

Raph didn't know whether he was pretending to be stupid or not. "Ya know… the monster we bumped into earlier? Does dat rin' any bells, Warumagi?"

Foxglove marvelled at his bluntness. She had seen no one talk to Warumagi like that. She was used to him being addressed as 'the Lord' or 'Sir'. She was used to him being talked to quietly and politely. She had thought of herself as arrogant and brutally honest. Now, she felt like a Saint.

Warumagi, to their surprise, smiled. "Ah, that. Yes, I suspect I do have some explaining to do. That unusual creature you came across… there are many of them. They live far out beyond the school grounds, and they sometimes wander over here. It's mostly at night, as they don't like the light and appear to be nocturnal. That is why I'm very strict with this sort of thing. That is why all the doors are locked at night."

"Why are they here?" asked Raph. "Dat doesn't sound safe. Why did ya set up the school here if they lived here?"

"This is the most secret location I could find. Also, no matter where you go, you are never truly alone. There is always danger surrounding you. We coexist. As long as the rules I have placed are followed, then nothing bad can happen. Now, we come onto what we should do with you two."

Katrina stiffened.

Foxglove stood up. If Raph could stand up for himself in front of Warumagi, then so could she. There was no way she was going to accept that _he_ could do something she couldn't. Besides, she was going to be excluded anyway. She didn't see what she had to lose. "If you're going to expel anyone, it has to be me and me only. Raph went outside because I forced him to. Then, he fell asleep and I did too… We tried to get in but it was too late."

Raph laughed mentally at the thought of her forcing him to do anything. Then, feeling guilty, he decided to make her not look like she played any part in this. She hadn't really. He had chosen to go outside and fall asleep. She had just been there and had gotten caught with him. He opened his mouth to talk but someone else spoke first.

"She's lying."

Warumagi looked over their heads and stared at the source of the voice.

"What did you say?"

Katrina lost all her confidence and backed away, bumping into the back wall. She bent forwards and rubbed her spine.

"_What did you say, Katrina_?"

Foxglove stared at the servant, as if seeing her for the first time. Raph stared at her too, but not for the same reason. He chanced a look at Warumagi. He appeared very calm, but he was clenching his fists too tightly for him to be truly relaxed.

Katrina straightened up, trembling. "She's… lying."

"Then why were they outside?"

"I… I was with Raphael, my Lord. We were sitting by the lake this evening. I… I asked him to come with me… then he… he must have fallen asleep, like Foxglove said. I saw her go outside after I came in to go to you." Katrina turned her hands into fists before uncurling them, determinedly looking Warumagi in the eyes.

"_Why were you outside with Raphael_?" he asked in a low voice.

"He was showing me some katas," she explained quietly, lowering her gaze slightly. "He meant nothing by it. He didn't know I wasn't allowed to be taught them or that I wasn't to use weapons or anything. Please don't expel them."

Warumagi wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, looking frustrated. "I can't just let you go unpunished. You've both been here long enough to know that you broke an important rule. I'm aware that Katrina influenced this, and rest assured she will be dealt with, but you both must be punished for your actions. If I make one exception, I will be expected to make one for all the students."

Raph gulped. If he couldn't be sent away from the school, what could happen to him?

"If you expel either of us..." Foxglove pointed rapidly between her and Raph. "I'll… I'll tell Raphael why I went to New York."

She knew earlier she had told him that if he was to expel someone it should be her, but she preferred it if neither of them were excluded.

Warumagi tried to decide whether she was bluffing on two accounts. The first one was whether she had a reason that he would not want to let out, and the second was whether she would actually say it out loud.

To show him she was serious, she narrowed her eyes at him. "I... I didn't go there to find Raphael. I was looking for someone else. We get kicked out and I'm gonna tell him who I was looking for."

Warumagi sighed, rubbing his temples. "This is the offer I am willing to give you. You do not tell a soul about the creature or anything about this night, as well as what you just said, and I will give you two detentions for two weeks and you will be withdrawn from your lessons until… ah… the 27th of June. You will have them with me. Everyday, including weekends."

Raph considered it before saying, "Ya drive a hard bargain, Warumagi. I guess that ya have yerself a deal."

"And you, Foxglove?"

She pulled a face. "An entire month?"

"It's either a month or forever. Don't you want this to look convincing?"

She sighed. "Fine. A month it is, then."

"Splendid," Warumagi beamed, shaking both of their hands. "Let's forget about this night and move on. You will report to the detention room straight after breakfast. Foxglove, be sure to take Raphael with you. I don't think he's had a detention or been in isolation before. You are both dismissed. Goodbye."

Raph and Foxglove rose from their seats. She thanked the Lord quietly while Raph glared at him suspiciously. Foxglove elbowed him, and he thanked Warumagi as well. Then, they left his office.

Katrina's face paled as the door closed behind them.

Warumagi waited until he was positive they had left. He checked outside the door before locking it and approaching Katrina, who was squirming under his intimidating glare.

"What did I say about being with him?" growled Warumagi. A vein showing on the side of his head was thumping against his skin. "Do you want him to figure out my plans?"

She shook her head. "I… I didn't... I wouldn't tell him anything, my Lord… I have told him nothing… I swear..."

"And how does Foxglove know of my goal?" he shouted, making all the hairs on the servant's body stand to attention. "She knows what I'm after. _You must have told her._"

"I haven't, I swear!" exclaimed Katrina, falling to her knees. "I would never betray you, my Lord. I owe my life to you! She… she must have overheard heard us… or… or have gone into Lady Warumagi's room."

"She was dead long before I had devised this plan," he told her angrily, spit flying out of his mouth. "There is nothing she could have learned about it from in there. She must have overheard you talking to me about it. Why can't you keep your voice down?"

"I'm sorry, my Lord!" she sobbed. "I f-failed you. She must h-have h-heard me. P-p-please f-forgive me!"

"You must earn my respect back," he whispered threateningly, his breath tickling her terrified ear. "Now, I have a little job for you…"

TMNTNMT

"You're in isolation for a MONTH?"

Raph eyed the massive group of students surrounding him and Foxglove. Blossom was sitting on the other side of him, her mouth hanging open and her spoon-holding hand hovering uselessly in midair. Fang was opposite him, staring at the mutant turtle with something that was much more than incredulity. Charles was unfazed, trying to slip a knife between two of his teeth.

Raph had only just sat down next to Foxglove, wanting to talk to her about the previous night, when what seemed to be the entire school had come along and crowded around them. Foxglove must have told everyone about their punishment, because they all seemed to come with a great deal of knowledge about it. He hadn't wanted everyone to be aware of their punishment. He had wanted to be left alone so that he could think in peace.

Foxglove slouched in her seat, pretending that it was not much of a big deal to her. She waved her hand dismissively, as if she was put in isolation everyday. "It's nothing. We were just having an argument and lost track of time. We got stuck outside and Warumagi found us while out patrolling."

No one doubted that they would have enough things to argue about for it to become late at night. Blossom dropped her spoon and peered at Raph curiously. "Once, there was a student called Silver and he sneaked out. He got expelled. You are so lucky you get to stay here."

"Lucky?" Fang snorted. "A month of isolation isn't lucky… and with the Lord too? That's the opposite of lucky. That's… that's… unlucky!"

"Hey Foxglove." Raph nudged her leg with his foot. "When yer done baskin' in yer ego, can we go to the detention room?"

He kicked her again and gave her a more meaningful look. She nodded, yawning, before getting up. Everyone groaned as they left the lunch hall. Raph turned around and saw Blossom put away his tray. He didn't know he was staring at her until Foxglove clicked her fingers in front of his face and yanked on his mask's tails. They went through the door and it closed behind them, blocking out the loud voices of the people contained within the lunch hall.

Raph was going to say something but they reached the detention room very quickly. She peeked inside before closing the door and crossing her arms.

"Empty. I guess we start our lesson at the same time as the others."

Raph jerked his head in agreement before saying impatiently, "So are we just gonna forget about what happened or…?"

"What else can we do? We said we wouldn't tell anyone about what really happened."

"And we have to keep that promise why?"

"Raphael, who is honestly going to believe us? No one, that's who. We tell everyone a monster tried to eat us and they'll just laugh their heads off. Then, the Lord will realize we went back on our promise and he'll punish us even more. What would we gain from that?"

She spat the last bit.

"We would gain **nothing**."

"Ya know you said dat ya weren't lookin' for me…" he started.

"Drop it Raphael. I'm not telling you anything about that. I promised the Lord I wouldn't."

"He won't know."

"Oh he will." She forced herself to laugh. "Besides, it's better if you don't know. Things will be a lot easier for everyone."

"At least gimme a brief outline of what ya know."

"Fine, but if I get expelled I'll make sure I kill you first. All I know is that he's looking for another giant turtle. I don't know why… All I know is that he's looking for a giant turtle and that's all you're going to get."

"But-"

"But nothing. That's all I'm saying."

"Just tell me how ya know that he doesn't want me."

Foxglove looked down the corridor, checking to see whether Warumagi was nearby or not. She sighed, giving him an annoyed look. "Years ago, when I recently joined, I woke up in the middle of the night. I needed to go to the toile- to _go_, so I snuck out of my room and went to find the lady's room. On the way back, I heard the Lord talking to the servant girl. I didn't want to get into trouble, so I hid. They were talking about some giant turtle, and then the servant said, 'The red masked one has a vicious temper, apparently' and the Lord responded, 'Yes, but we aren't looking for that one'. They mentioned New York, but I went away before they said anything else."

Raph was annoyed when he saw Warumagi stride down the corridor towards them, Katrina tagging on behind him. The Lord unlocked the door and walked in silently. Foxglove slipped in after Katrina while Raph went in last.

Splinter had never put any of his students in isolation. They could misbehave and break the rules, but the rat would still teach them together. The only times when he did teach individual students was when they were in extra lessons. They always had their main lessons together. It had always been like that.

Isolation was completely different to what Raph was used to. He sat on the other side of the room to Foxglove with his shell towards her. Katrina put a stack of papers and a pen on his desk. On closer inspection, he saw that they were worksheets.

She went and knelt down next to Warumagi on the floor, gazing at something straight in front of her. Warumagi got out some paperwork and began slowly filling them in, sitting behind a deep brown desk.

Raph regretted mucking about and letting Blossom take his notes during the previous lessons. He didn't know many of the answers, and he didn't have a classmate to aid him. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Warumagi watching him, smiling. Ignoring the headmaster, Raph continued guessing the answers. He knew the solutions to the simpler questions and even some of the intermediate ones. However, when it came to ones like 'Which of the following are surds? Show your working out,' he couldn't help but chew on the end of his pen.

He didn't know how long he was in there for. The room didn't have a clock but Raph guessed that it was approaching lunchtime. The thought of leaving the room made him feel better, so he began concentrating a lot harder on the questions. As soon as he was allowed out, he planned on asking Blossom what some of these things were supposed to mean. He also wanted to know how Foxglove was doing with her questions. A small glimmer of hope inside him said that the questions were insanely hard, and it wasn't him being thick.

Warumagi murmured something to Katrina and she left the room. Raph didn't pay her departure any attention; however he flinched when he saw her return with two trays of food. Foxglove looked unfazed by the objects she was holding, having been in isolation before.

The Lord caught Raph's eye and said, "You will eat your lunch here. You will also have your dinner here and then you'll start your detention. I expect you will both finish at… hm… eight?"

He didn't say anything. Warumagi nodded at him, as if Raph had asked a question and he was answering it. Katrina put the tray on his desk and went to kneel next to Warumagi once more.

TMNTNMT

Raph walked out the room, feeling like his head was going to explode. Foxglove didn't say anything to him as she went in the opposite direction, towards her room. He didn't mind; he just wanted to fall into bed and sleep. He couldn't believe that he had a month of this. The mere thought of it made his head want to explode twice.

Katrina hadn't even acknowledged him when he had left. She hadn't looked at him or changed her expression to one of sympathy. The Lord had left the room before her and Raph had tried to talk to her. He wanted to talk to her about the previous night but she had quickly scuttled away before he could even open his mouth. It was as though she was avoiding him.

It had been the most mind numbingly dull day he had ever had the misfortune to experience.

He stopped when he saw someone waiting outside his room's door. He quickened his pace, his hands reaching towards his sai. He knew that there was a small chance of it being another monster, but he wanted to make sure…

The person smiled at him, bending her legs but not quite jumping up and down. She lightened up as he got closer and he saw that it was only Blossom. He chuckled. There was no way that she could be a monster.

"What are ya doin' here?" he queried. He didn't want to ask how long she had been waiting there for.

"I wanted to know how your isolation went," she told him, still bending her legs excitedly.

Raph shrugged. "It was borin'. I had to do some work and it was pretty hard. What did you do today?"

"I learned about osmosis and diffusion, and I went to the library. I read a book about dreams and it says that whatever you think about just before you fall sleep deeply influences what you dream about."

"Are ya still worried about that dream ya had?"

"Kinda," she mumbled, focusing on a point on the ground for a second. She smiled at him. "But it's not like it ever happened, right? Dreams can't hurt me."

"Yeah."

"I'll see you at breakfast," she said. "You need your sleep. See you tomorrow. Bye!"

"Yeah, bye," he said, and she disappeared around the corner.

He went into his room and lay on his bed, not bothering to take off his ninja gear. He turned his head and saw a brand new alarm clock on his bedside table and smiled.

Just like usual.


	12. Letters Again

**Hopefully, this will give some people time to catch up and stuff.  
**

* * *

_Dear Raphael,_

_My son, you can only imagine how much joy I feel when I read your letters. I am slightly disappointed to hear that you are not concentrating as much as you could be in your lessons. You must try, Raphael. The work may seem hard but if you try hard then it will not be. Blossom must be a wonderful friend if she is taking notes for both of you. If the work is too hard, remember that you can tell us or your teacher and you will receive all the necessary help. You do not have to sit there, puzzled, when help is so close at hand. You may not understand the work now, but I am positive that with dedication you will be one of the brightest students in your class. You have the potential, Raphael._

_Leonardo wishes to know how big the library is and how many books are contained inside of it. He also wants me to tell you that of course he cares about you. You are his brother and if something bad were to happen to you, he would be very upset. He says that the place you are staying in seems safe, but you should be very careful. I agree with him; stay out of trouble and tell us if something is wrong. We may not be with you in person, but we are with you in spirit and we are only a letter away._

_Donatello tells me that he has not been able to find any articles that are related to 'Human Hybrids'. He is still continuing to research about them; however he is unsure whether they exist. He suggests that you ask someone if they have any other names. He thinks that 'Human Hybrid' may be a 'slang' term and that is why he cannot find anything. Your description of what they are has intrigued him. He is curious to know how this phenomenon occurs. He says that it does not sound natural._

_Ah. Michelangelo. He will be writing the next paragraph of this letter. He has something he needs to tell you. _

_Hey Raph! How's it going? You're making lots of friends and stuff. I didn't think that you would become Mister Popularity… Okay, the others are giving me death glares so I better get to the point. __Earlier, __Donnie told us about something called spontaneous combustion (you know what kind of stuff he comes up with at the breakfast table). I didn't listen to all of it, 'cos it was kinda boring, but he said something about things setting alight. So me being the awesome brother I am, went to check on your shell cycle in case it was on fire. I looked it over and it wasn't. I was about to leave the room when I saw this fly on it. I hit it, thinking that it would like stain it, but it flew away. So I was standing there after hitting your shell cycle, wondering whether or not it was broken. I decided to check and see, so I got on it and… uh… it kind of… well, you always said that you wanted a more powerful motorbike, right? Now you can get one!_

_Do not worry, Raphael. He is being punished for his actions, and Donatello says that it will be repaired before you return home._

_April and Casey have returned from England with many souvenirs. They have gotten you something, but we will not tell you what it is. It is a surprise. Also, Angel is settling very well at her new school. She, April and Casey hope that you are alright, as do we._

_Write back soon,_

_Hamato Splinter_

TMNTNMT_  
_

_To Raphael,_

_Did you get our last letter? I know that we're probably being impatient, but when you have a small amount of something, you want to have as much of it as possible. Sensei says that we should wait for you to reply before writing again, but we've been waiting for quite a while._

_In case you didn't get our previous letter for some reason, Donnie says that 'Human Hybrids' sounds very unusual. He thinks that the chances of it occurring in nature are very slim. He reckons there may be some other factor causing it to happen. Also, Mikey got it into his head that something might have been wrong with your shell cycle, so he took it for a test run and crashed it into a wall. He's unharmed, thankfully, though I can't say the same about your shell cycle. __Don's repairing it as quickly as possible._

_Raph, why wouldn't I care about you? I care about everyone in my family and you are my brother, so you fall into that category. I know that we don't always see eye to eye, but just because we argue and have different opinions doesn't mean that I don't like you as much as the others. _

_We looked everywhere and we couldn't find you. None of us slept for a week. I know that I get on your nerves, but I care about you. I only want to make sure that you're okay._

_April and Casey have returned from their holiday and Angel tells us she's okay, but her new place isn't the same as New York._

_Write back soon. Please. _

_Hamato Leonardo_

TMNTNMT

_Grumpy Raphie,_

_DUDE… WHAT'S UP? You can't have like, lost Sensei's AND Leo's letter. I mean, I can't be asked to write out what they wrote again, but if you want to know what they said then I bet I can get one of the others to write it out again. I mean, we don't want to write a mega long letter for you to not read._

_Why aren't you writing back? Did we do something wrong? What did we do? Was it Leo? If he wrote angry stuff in his letter, it's not his fault. He doesn't mean to get on the wrong side of you. He really worries about you. Ever since Sensei's letter he hasn't been training or complaining as much. He doesn't mean to nag nag nag you. He just has weird ways of showing how he feels. Kind of like you, really._

_Or is it me? It's me, isn't it? I know I kind of broke your shell cycle. I understand if you're annoyed with me. But dude… don't be angry at the others. You can write to them and not me. I don't care. I just want to know everything's okay._

_So PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE write back, 'kay? Pretty please?_

_Mikey_

TMNTNMT_  
_

_Dear Raph,_

_I fixed your shell cycle. It took a while because we have been very busy, but I sacrificed some nights and spent them repairing it. Mikey promises not to touch it again without asking. You don't have to be annoyed with him anymore. In fact, I've modified it so that it's a lot more powerful than before._

_I suspect… no, I know for a fact that the others have written to you, saying they want you to write back to them. I would like it if you wrote back as well. It doesn't even have to be much… it can be a few words. A single sentence. We just want a sign that you are alright._

_Donatello_

_PS Still no luck finding out about 'Human Hybrids'. I'll keeping looking though._

TMNTNMT

_To Raphael,_

_What's your problem? We've all written to you and you haven't even bothered to reply. We're all worried. This is different to when I went on my pilgrimage to see the Ancient One. You wrote to us twice and then you suddenly stopped. We don't know why you discontinued. For all we know, you've died and you're never coming back. If you could just write us something then we would know that you're okay._

_Or do you think you're too good for us? Is your life there more important than your life here? Is it because you have more freedom there? Is it more important than our emotions?_

_Maybe you've just forgotten us, what with your new friends and all... Write back if you want. I don't care._

_Hamato Leonardo_

TMNTNMT_  
_

_To Raphael,_

_I'm sorry about my last letter. I was in a bad mood. Of course you haven't forgotten about us._ _It's most likely us being ignorant. Suppose you're injured, or something's keeping you away from writing back? I feel like an idiot. I bet you're going to tell me this when we meet in person, but I don't mind. I really hope you return soon._

_Ignore my last letter. Ignore everything I've said if you want. Just find the time to write back to the others, if you don't want to write to me. They deserve to know how you're doing._

_We miss you. I miss you._

_Hamato Leonardo_

TMNTNMT

_Raphie,_

_I know I get on your nerves a lot, but I don't mean to. It's just that you never pay attention to me unless I'm RIGHT UP IN YOUR FACE. It's like you'd rather be by yourself, when you have such an awesome family. You know, there are people in Whatsitsnameastad who would kill for a family like ours._

_Is this like, your way of getting away from us? I know we're annoying and nosy (mostly Leo), but... it's because we care._

_Write back soon, okay?  
_

_From your awesomest Raph-deprived (feels weird writing that, because I thought that if you left, I would never miss you) brother EVER,_

_Mikey  
_


	13. Goodbye Fang

**Thanks for the reviews. LOL.**

**Apologizes for the leap in time in this chapter.  
**

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When a ball rolls along, one might watch it for a while. One might see how it goes round and round. After a while, it gets tedious watching it and one stops studying each and every roll it makes. They let it continue its journey without much thought, having become accustomed to it.

That's how Raphael felt.

His alarm clock would go off, and he would knock it onto the floor. He would go and have his breakfast, before going to isolation. He would end his day by going to his room and falling asleep. The highlight of his day was when he got to meet his friends during breakfast and catch up on what he was missing out on. However, he didn't seem to be missing out on anything important. They talked about their lessons and not much else. The other students were either very boring, or they didn't want to show off about what was happening while he was stuck in isolation.

When a ball rolls along, just like you expect it to, one begins to notice other things. At first, the ball holds one's attention, distracting them from everything else. But then, one's mind begins to drift away from the monotonous sphere and they begin to think about other things.

That's what happened to Raphael.

He would wake up in the morning and look at his bedside table, hoping to find something new on it. His hopes would fall when he saw that the only thing on it was a brand new alarm clock.

He had expected his family to find at least one moment to write back to him. He had only received one letter from them. He didn't know if he should write another, in case they had lost his and were waiting for one. When he thought about doing that, he worried that he was being too impatient. For all he knew, they were busy fighting the Foot or beating up Purple Dragons. His family couldn't have been ignoring him intentionally… unless he had offended them in his last letter?

It had been ages since he had written it, but he still attempted to remember what had been in it. He was positive that he hadn't written anything that would put them off writing back. Perhaps they thought that they didn't need to? Maybe they thought he had a lot of friends to keep him company. Or… what if they were jealous of him being around people like them?

Suppose they were dead? What if Karai had gone on a mad killing spree and had found their lair, before destroying them? She had tried to do it previously, when Leonardo had gone away to see the Ancient One. He had returned to see his home in ruins, with no knowledge of what had become of his family. Suppose the same happened to Raph, only his family were not so lucky this time? What if that was why they weren't writing back to him?

Agent Bishop hadn't done anything for ages. He had been lying low. What if he had been preparing an attack? What if he captured his family and dissected them?

He knew his explanations were becoming more and more farfetched, but he was desperate to have one.

He didn't want to accept that his family didn't want to keep contact with him.

He was tempted to ask Katrina about it, seeing as she was the only link between the school and his home, but he never got the chance to ask her. After every day of isolation, she would leave before he could say anything to her. He could never find her in the morning so he couldn't ask her then. Still… he suspected (or rather hoped) that she would find the time to collect and give any letters to him. She had agreed to do so.

When a ball stops rolling, one has a mixture of emotions. On one hand, they are glad it has stopped because it was so tedious. On the other hand, one wonders what to do next. They were used to its action, and now that it has finished they have to find something else to do. Also, while a ball is rolling, one learns many things.

He didn't talk to anyone during the time he was inside the detention room. He hadn't been allowed to. Foxglove had gotten stuck on one of the questions and had tried asking for help, only to be told by Warumagi that she wasn't allowed to. Raph had found this unfair. They didn't get any new work until they had finished the work they had been given. After Raph had done all the questions he was able to do, he just sat there. Warumagi had noticed this but hadn't said anything.

After a week of isolation, Raph had found a piece of paper on the table in his room. He had hoped that it was a letter from his family, but it had been a list of the answers to the questions he had received during isolation. The following breakfast, Blossom had quietly explained that Foxglove had asked for them. After being told the questions, she had written them out for Foxglove and had decided to make a list for Raph too. He had been extremely grateful. He knew he couldn't bring them into the room with him, so he had sat in bed that night revising them.

Warumagi had been mildly surprised when the turtle had given him the correctly done worksheet. He had smiled, before giving Raph another one. A much harder one.

What confused Raph was why Foxglove had asked for the answers. The day before he had gotten them from Blossom, she had gotten a new worksheet. She hadn't needed to ask for the answers. It was as if she had asked Blossom for them because she knew that she would give them to him. Foxglove must have not wanted to give them to him directly.

It had been an act of kindness, but it didn't mean that the two had become good friends. Foxglove had barely talked to him while they ate their breakfast, and she had completely ignored him when they had been waiting for their isolation to begin.

He could remember one conversation they had had after two weeks of isolation. They had gotten up early on Friday, and had arrived outside the detention room while most of the others were still in bed. Raph had been thinking about why Foxglove would get the answers for him, and the thought had been bugging him.

"Hey, why did ya gemme the answers to the worksheet?"

"I didn't. I asked Blossom for them and she gave them to you as well. S'not my fault she likes you."

"Fault? How's it a fault? Anyway, ya didn't have to. You were on a different set of questions by then. Ya did it on purpose."

"Okay, you got me. Shoot me."

"I ain't shootin' ya. I just wanna know why."

"I do something nice for you and instead of saying thank you, you say 'why' like I've done something wrong? Is it that surprising?"

"Yeah."

"Get that smile off your face. It isn't funny."

"Yer smilin' too. I can see the ends of yer mouth pointin' upwards."

"Okay, okay. You staring into space put me off. I thought that if you got started on some different questions then you'd stop being all gormless. Satisfied?"

"Satisfied."

TMNTNMT

After a month, isolation finally finished. It was when he went to bed that last night and looked out of the window that he felt something in his chest tighten.

He had been away from his family for nearly two months.

It was the longest amount of time he had been away from all of them for. There were so many things he could have missed out on… so many things that could happened to them. He shuddered, forcing himself to go to sleep.

TMNTNMT

"Come on, Raph," said Blossom impatiently, hopping on her right foot. She banged her fist against his room's door. "Don't you want to see who's graduated?"

The door opened reluctantly, and an even more reluctant Raphael stepped into the hallway. He stretched his arms, having only just gotten out of bed. He had been too busy thinking… thinking about… things… things like-

"Let's go, sleepyhead!" She grabbed hold of his hand and led him towards the lunch hall. "It's Monday! Remember what happens on Monday?"

"We find out who's graduatin'," he replied, bored.

"Yes! And maybe it will be me today!" she giggled. "It has to be me at some point. I mean, I don't want to sound bigheaded, but I have gotten A pluses in all of the exams this year _and _the year before that."

"Yeah, I'm kinda surprised ya haven't gone yet," remarked Raph, furrowing his brow. Blossom beamed at him. "How do they choose who graduates? Is there like some kind of test or what?"

She shook her head. "They assess how well you do in your lessons and how good the quality of your homework is, as well as your behaviour and some other stuff."

They entered the lunch hall and went to receive their breakfast. They had gotten it, and were about to sit down when they saw a large group of people surrounding the door leading out of the room. Blossom ignored them, sitting down at one of the empty tables. Raph sat down next to her, glancing at the excited crowd of people. He couldn't help but notice that the majority of them were female.

He jerked his thumb at them. "What's got them so happy?"

"It's the annual talent show," replied Blossom. "Everyone goes crazy for it because… because they can sing and dance in it."

"And you can't?"

"I can't do either of those things," said Blossom clearly, popping some cereal into her mouth. She swallowed. "And those are the acts that win."

"But ya can dance," Raph told her. "Remember when we did the warts?"

"That was only for fun," she said, "and to take my mind off… to distract me."

He looked around. The hall was beginning to slowly fill with people, but they were still alone at their table. If any of their friends were awake, they were most likely getting their food or going to look at the poster advertising the talent show. He leaned forwards and said in a low voice, "Have ya had dat dream at all recently?"

She gulped, her smile disappearing slightly. "A few times. But… it's changed a bit. You're good at analyzing dreams. Would you tell me what your opinion on it?"

"Sure…" replied Raph slowly. He hoped that he would be lucky like the time before.

"Okay, the beginning's the same. I go down this corridor and into another room. However, while I'm drowning in the shadows… there are voices."

"What are they sayin'?"

"I can't really make them out, but I_ think_ they're arguing." She scratched her head, furrowing her brow. "I don't know what about though. So… what do you think it means?"

"Hm…" Raph narrowed his eyes in thought. "Arguin'… they were fightin' with each other… maybe you have conflictin' feelin's or somethin'? How do ya feel when they're arguin'?"

"Sad," she answered.

"Ya don't like fightin', right? Well… there's a fight goin' on inside ya and it's… yer emotions fightin'," he said. "I think, anyway."

"Hm…" She looked sideways. "Thanks."

They were distracted when Fang and Charles sat down at their table. Fang looked the happiest Raph had ever seen him. He chuckled. "I think Foxglove has finally lost interest in me."

"Oh?" blinked Blossom. "Really? But… she adores you!"

"I thought you were the nerd with good grammar. It's adore**d**," smirked Fang, picking up one of the chicken legs on his plate and chewing on it. "I haven't seen her for ages. She's finally gotten the message."

"You can see her now." Charles elbowed him, pointing at the door. She walked in, sitting down on the other side of the room of them. She didn't even look once in their direction.

"Good morning everyone!" said Warumagi's voice, coming out of the speaker. "It's your Lord speaking. I'm sure that you're all aware of the talent show happening this Saturday. If you're interested in participating, please see Wol or myself before Friday. I hope to see as many of you enter as possible. Except one student, who will be graduating today."

As the room fell silent, Blossom crossed her fingers and whispered something under her breath.

"They are…"

"Me, be me…" mumbled Blossom, bowing her head. "Please… please be me... I deserve to graduate... I-"

"Fang."

"What?" Fang spat out some chicken, choking. There was a loud groan, but it transformed into a series of claps and cheers almost instantly. Charles slapped Fang on the back, turning red and laughing at the top of his voice. All the other students crowded around their table. In the process, one of them elbowed Raph in the eye. He swatted their arm away, receiving another jab in response. Blossom was cheering, but the smile on her face didn't seem natural.

Out of the corner of his eye, Raph could see Foxglove trying to get closer. She shoved people in her way to the side, her hips sending a few people to the ground. She eventually got to the point where she was standing behind him, slightly to the left. By now the room had fallen silent, waiting for him to say something to them.

He flicked his head left to right before leaning back and grinning, his hands behind his head. "What can I say? I've been chosen to go. Leave. Depart. Whatever. You guys were real cool and I'm gonna miss you. Charles, you were an awesome mate. You're the first one I made and I'm gonna miss you like crazy. Raph…"

Raph looked at him.

"You were cool too," he said. "I hope you get home soon. Your family are pretty darn lucky to have you. They must be missing you like crazy."

Raph stopped looking at him.

Fang got to his feet. "Well… Bye guys!"

"Wait," said Foxglove suddenly.

Fang turned to her. "Hey, Foxglove. I nearly forgot about you. I'm gonna miss you too. Would you put my tray in the stack over there? There's a good girl."

Foxglove paused, catching sight of Raph. He looked at her, but didn't acknowledge her in any other way. She cast her eyes back to Fang. For a fleeting moment, she thought that it was Silver who was sitting in front of her, with his cute little smirk and twinkling eyes. Memories of Silver scaring away some bigger students, who had taken her bag, entered her mind and a shiver went up her spine as she remembered him kissing her forehead. Then, she blinked and realized it wasn't Silver in front of her. Fang had never been Silver, and there was no way she could ever change that. She had tried to, stretching her imagination to its limits, but it was at that moment that she finally figured out they were completely different people.

She snorted, walking into the crowd. "Do it yourself. I was going to say goodbye, but I won't bother now."

Fang ignored her and got to his feet, waving. Then, with screams and the sound of applauding surrounding him, he left through the door and disappeared.

Fang walked out of the dining room and headed towards Warumagi's office. He looked over his shoulder at the closed door, frowning. It was strange, how everyone longed to graduate. He wasn't sure why. The lessons weren't that bad. In fact, he kind of enjoyed them. The homework was doable and the lessons were bearable. The students were great. Maybe it was the fact that graduating showed the Lord had chosen you specifically.

He remembered when he had first met Charles. He had been about fourteen, wearing scruffy jeans and a baggy white t-shirt. Warumagi had explained that he had been a wolf, but had changed into a Human Hybrid. The Lord had a tracker that located their unusual DNA signature and had discovered him in a forest. Warumagi had taken him here, so he could look after him and teach Fang how to survive life in the outside world.

He had been lonely the first few days, with no one to talk to. Everyone had already formed friendship groups and he hadn't wanted to barge in. He was popular now, but it was Fang's self-esteem that had grown over his time here that had allowed this to happen. Back then, not knowing anyone, he had been confused and shy. He remembered sitting at a table one breakfast, only for a voice coming from beneath him to say, "Boo!"

It had been Charles, who had been camouflaged and waiting for a victim. Fang had found out he was new as well and the two, having not made any friends yet, became pals and had stayed friends ever since.

It had been a peculiar friendship. While Fang had become the school's team captains sport-wise, Charles became a prankster. Charles' loud and carefree attitude had rubbed onto him and had made Fang who he was now. It was easier to be confident when he was with Charles, because he knew if he made a bad impression, he would still have Charles to be with. His friend had helped him make other friends until he didn't need Charles to be with him to feel able to talk confidently. If it wasn't for Charles, he would probably have been a very different person.

He had reached the door to Warumagi's office by now. He opened it and entered the corridor crammed with paintings. He hadn't been in there since he had first joined and felt sick. Eyes upon eyes stared at him as he walked down it slowly. He looked back, his heart thumping.

Could he really leave his friends behind? He stopped walking and clenched his fists. He had been there for three years or so. It wasn't that big a proportion of his life, but taking into account that he couldn't remember the bit before, it was practically all his life. The Lord had promised great things for those who left… but was he not leaving great things behind?

The door he had walked through shut randomly and he stumbled backwards, knocking one of the paintings onto the floor. He bent down and examined it, hoping that he hadn't broken it. Thankfully, the young girl in the painting continued smiling at him, unfazed. He looked up and tried to see where it had originally been. It wasn't hard to see where, because there was a square of blank white wall with a nail in it. He put it back and made a choice. He would ask Warumagi to let him stay. He would graduate when Charles did.

He entered the head master's office and surveyed the room, unsure what he was supposed to do. There was no one in there except from the servant. He looked at her, trying to remember her name. C… he was sure it began with a 'c'. He closed the door behind him and looked at her.

Her face was blank, and she was staring at him. It unnerved him slightly, but he didn't show this. Fang went up to her confidently and said, "Hey, I'm here because I graduated."

She nodded.

He coughed, her response not satisfying him. "What's supposed to happen now?"

"Go through that door." She pointed at the door at the back of the office. "It's unlocked. The Lord will be waiting for you down there."

Fang was confused. "Why isn't he waiting for me here?"

"You have to go down there," she said, jabbing the air with her extended finger. "The Lord is down there, waiting for you to go to him."

"Oh… alright then." Fang shrugged his shoulders. "I was just asking. I mean, why can't he talk to me here?"

"He is waiting for you down there. Don't you want to see the Lord and move on?"

"About that... I was wondering if I could stay here for a bit longer," he told her. "I mean… I don't really want to go without the others. It was on such short notice too. I didn't even get to say goodbye to them properly."

"You can tell the Lord this when you go down there."

Giving up, he went to the door and opened it. The new room was incredibly dark, and he could only just make out a staircase. He walked down it slowly, placing his feet carefully downwards, making sure he didn't miss a step and fall over.

"Sir? Lord Warumagi?" he called, his voice sounding very loud. "I was thinking… could I stay here a bit longer? I don't think I'm ready to graduate."

He reached the bottom and felt something enter his mouth. He spluttered, finding that he was unable to breathe. He stumbled forward, feeling like he was drowning.

Then…

He drifted into unconsciousness.

* * *

**One down...**


	14. Goodbye Charles

"Hey Raphael."

Raphael looked up at the newcomer. Blossom had managed to persuade him to accompany her to the library. He had just eaten his dinner, and the dojo had been in use. He had tried to go see Katrina, but he hadn't seen her near the lake. Ever since the night he had been told he would be in isolation, he hadn't spoken to her. Or rather, she hadn't spoken to him. Sometimes they passed each other in the corridor, but she never said anything to him. She didn't even look at him. It was as though she thought he was just another painting on the wall: common and not worth a second glance.

He didn't know who to expect. Blossom was sitting next to him, reading a book about lucid dreaming, so it couldn't have been her. Fang had left, and even then he had never stepped one foot in the library in all of his life. In fact, Raph rightfully suspected that most of the students had never visited the place. It couldn't have been Foxglove, for surprisingly she was sitting at the table they were seated at, silently reading a book. Raph couldn't see what it was about, due to the fact her hands were covering its title and blurb.

A lemur hybrid was looking down at him, grinning from ear to ear. Raph vaguely remembered him as Laurence, the student who had painted all the footballs pink with Charles once upon a time ago. He was quite short, with dark brown fur that was nearly everywhere on his body. His face was snowy white with dark circles around the eyes, and a black and white striped tail poked out of his Hawaiian shorts. He bounced up and down on his heels, too excited to stay still.

"Hey Raphael," repeated Laurence, still moving rapidly.

Raph narrowed his eyes, his head hurting from watching the blurry creature. "Do ya have an off button?"

"Sorry," apologized Laurence, staying still. "Are you busy right now?"

Raph looked at the closed book in his hands. "No... Why?"

"We were wondering whether you'd like to help us." Charles suddenly appeared out of nowhere, a dark red colour. He looked both ways, before disappearing from sight again.

"He's not supposed to be here," explained Laurence sadly. "You see, a few weeks ago he set off a stink bomb, so he's not allowed here and-"

"Who's yapping?" The lizard librarian came out from a gap between a pair of bookcases, her beak pointing upwards and her beady eyes wide open. "This. Is. A. Library! No talking!"

Blossom's cheeks darkened as she blushed. "I'm so sorry. We'll be quiet."

The librarian sniffed, slipping between the bookcases and disappearing from sight. Blossom sighed, closing her book and putting it on the table, before pushing it away from her. Foxglove paused, looking up from the top of her book. Blossom looked slightly irritated.

"What is it? Also, can you please remember to keep your voice down? This is a library and I don't want to be kicked out."

"I'm sorry Blossom, it won't happen again," whispered Laurence, leaning towards Raph. "So like we were saying… you aren't busy right now?"

"It depends, what have ya got in mind?" asked Raph suspiciously.

"Well..." Charles materialized again, bright blue this time. Raph's eyes twitched. "We need your help. See, we-"

Laurence coughed. Charles winked at him, chuckling.

"-Mostly me though… want to see where Fang went to. He was my closest mate, and I wanna see if I can find out where he's gone. I wanna find a way to keep contact with him. So, when I leave, I can find him easily. I wanna have someone waiting for me when I get out of this dump, you know?"

"How do you plan on doing that?" asked Foxglove. Blossom jumped, having forgotten that she was there.

Charles grinned. "Easy. I bet the Lord keeps a record of everyone in his office. Fang only left this morning, so I bet he still has some information about him. Or… a document that says where everyone goes. I dunno."

"He'll still be here 'cos the teleporter's broken," Raph remarked, thinking he had found a flaw in his plan.

"Nah, it's been fixed for ages. We saw it when we got sent to his office for something last week," corrected Charles casually, eager to get onto the main subject of their conversation. "Okay, so this is my plan…"

Charles told them about his idea, but Raph didn't really listen. He clasped his hands together and leaned his elbows against the tabletop, anger rising in his chest. The teleporter had been fixed? Charles had said that it had been for ages, yet Warumagi hadn't thought about telling him... or he hadn't wanted to tell him. He couldn't have just _forgotten_ to tell Raph. He growled slightly.

"We just had dinner, Raph. You can't be hungry already," giggled Blossom. Her face turned serious when she looked at Charles and Laurence. "This sounds really… risky. What if you get caught?"

"Ah, that's the beauty of it." Charles tapped her beak, a broad grin plastered on his face. "If we get caught, we get expelled. If we get expelled, we get kicked out. If we get kicked out, we get to meet up with Fang. I mean, the lessons and stuff here are Snoresville." He put on a posh English accent. "_In addition, I know how to behave properly in so-siiiigh-et-ee, so these classes are unnecessary for a fellow like me._"

He bowed at Blossom, holding her hand and kissing it gently. Laurence laughed nervously, watching his friend straighten up. Blossom giggled quietly, covering her mouth with her hand.

Raph wiggled, feeling uncomfortable for some reason.

"Seriously, it's not like I'm going to go on a rampage if I'm not told that I've graduated," Charles added. "Well... I hope so."

Blossom laughed again. Raph doubted that she found what he said humourous. It sounded like she was forcing herself to laugh so he didn't feel stupid for making an unfunny remark. Or she was trying to get on his good side so she could persuade him not to go ahead with whatever his plan was. Raph couldn't see Blossom encouraging anyone to break the school's rules.

"You can't seriously want to go through with this plan," piped up Foxglove coldly. "It's bound to fail. You're assuming that the Lord keeps his office unlocked and everyone's permanent records under a nylon purple sign saying 'read me.'"

Laurence frowned for the first time that day, puzzled. Charles raised one of his fingers into the air, unfazed. "The servant must have a key to his room. We can get it off her."

"And Raph spends aaaages with her," added Foxglove sweetly, gazing at Raph with a smirk on her lips, "sitting by the lake. She'd give it to him easily."

Everyone looked at Raph. He crossed his arms, glaring back at them. "I haven't talked to her for ages and besides, I ain't trickin' her into doin' anythin'. It's not right."

Charles placed his hands onto his face in mock horror. Laurence copied him, his mouth opened wide comically. Charles whispered dramatically, "Oh no… it's not right. We can't do it 'cos one person thinks it's not right."

Something washed over his eyes, but whatever it was it disappeared very quickly. He said in a slightly louder voice, "It's not _right_ to find out where my best friend is? Is that what you're saying? I'm asking you because you're my friend, and you're the only one who talks to her. Please…"

He made a begging motion at the exact same time as Laurence. Raph's left eye twitched. They were acting a lot like Michelangelo.

"Please…" Charles mumbled. "Just ask her for the keys… Say… say you want to use the teleporter and escape… say you want to go home now."

"But he's not leaving!" Blossom exclaimed. She looked at Raph worriedly. "You aren't leaving, are you?"

She was pleading more than asking.

"He's only saying that so he can get the keys. Of course he's not going," Charles told her. "So Raphael, have we got a deal?"

"No."

"Go on," said Charles, "or are you chicken? Buck buck buck…"

"I ain't stealin', borrowin', trickin' her or anythin'. My master taught me dat stealin' is wrong, and if he knew I was stealin' he'd be…"

What would he be? Would he even care? Raph wasn't sure. If he did care about him, he would have found the time to write back to him. Did his sensei know how much he wanted to read his writing? To know that he was alive? That his family was alive? It only needed to be a piece of paper saying 'We're busy. Will write soon'. Didn't they care about how he was feeling?

He sneered. It was so tempting to agree with them, just so he could get back at his family... so he could go against what his master had taught him. But… he knew he couldn't. It wouldn't be right. He was better than that.

"Look, back home I opened lots of locked doors," he said quickly. "I'll open it my way, okay?"

It was true. He had opened a lot of locked doors. He forced them open with his foot. He had the feeling that the Lord's door was going to be as strong as the doors leading outside of the building, but he didn't want to trick Katrina or take the keys from her by force. He also had the feeling that Warumagi would be in his office, which Raph secretly hoped. He had a few words he wanted to tell him and they weren't very nice ones.

"Cool." Charles rested his hands on the table. "This is what we're gonna do. Raph will unlock the door and Laurence and I will sneak in. We'll find his document things or whatever and zing! We get out and no one is any wiser."

"I still don't think this is a good idea," mumbled Blossom.

"So?" Charles rolled his eyes. "You don't have to help. You can go be a good girl and read some books, like you usually do. Or you can go play with your dollies."

Raph stood up, his voice low and dangerous. "If ya want my help, ya might wanna watch what ya say to my friends."

Charles gulped, before throwing her a dark look. "Alright. Sorry. Geez..." He wiped his face with his hands. "I'm just saying that you can't make me change my mind. Laurence and I are going to do this, capiche?"

"Capiche," murmured Blossom, knowing that she wouldn't be able to change his mind any time soon. She lifted her gaze. "What... what can I do to help?"

"Nothing really, we don't need you," replied Charles.

She frowned. Laurence coughed hastily. "You and Foxglove can stand on either side of the corridor. If you see the Lord coming, talk really loudly."

"THAT'S IT, OUT!" roared the librarian, holding a large dusty book in her arms. "THIS IS THE LIBRARY, NOT THE LUNCH HALL! GO GOSSIP THERE! OUT OUT OUT! YOU'RE ALL BANNED FROM HERE!"

She threw the book at them, but it landed on her foot. She hopped up and down in pain as the others left quickly, Charles' laughter echoing in the vast room.

TMNTNMT

"This is a stupid idea," declared Foxglove, crossing her arms. "It's a stupid idea and it's not going to work."

Her statement raised the question, 'Why are you here then?', but no one asked it.

"They'll probably succeed," said Raph grimly. "They'll either find out where Fang is, leave empty-handed or get expelled. Den, they can meet up with him outside of school."

"It's still stupid."

"Yeah."

"When you two are done nattering…" said Charles impatiently. "Geez, we have to keep _quiet_. Do you want the Lord to hear you?"

Foxglove glowered at the back of his head, pinching the palms of her hands. Charles stared at Raph.

"Right, so you do your magic on the door and Laurence and I will go in. Then, we'll see what happens." Charles rubbed his hands together excitedly and nodded at Laurence. "Right?"

He nodded half-heartedly. "Right… Hey, Charles. I was thinking… maybe I should keep watch as well? The Lord might come out of that door over there. If he does, you don't have anywhere to hide. I could keep him talking and stuff."

"That's a closet."

"He might be in there."

"In a closet?"

"Yeah, maybe."

Charles chuckled, thinking that he was joking around. "If he is, he'll be in there for hours getting it on with a broomstick or something. Now come on."

He went to the door with Laurence hovering behind him. Raph reluctantly came forward and looked at the door warily. After an awkward silence, he began kicking it with his foot.

Blossom looked horrified. "What are you doing? I thought you said you knew how to unlock doors."

"Yeah," snapped Charles. "You're ruining the plan. Don't tell me that the caveman approach is how you usually-"

"Look." Foxglove stamped over and took out a pin from behind her ear. "Lemme do it."

She leaned forwards and began working on the keyhole in the door. While her back was turned, Charles mimed smacking her bottom. Her leg kicked out and hit him on his right thigh. She straightened up as he doubled over, not amused.

"You're so witty," she said dryly, opening the door. "Go knock yourselves out."

Charles blew her a kiss before going through it. Laurence took a deep breath and followed him in. As soon as his ringed tail was safely through the door she closed it firmly, crossed her arms and leaned against the bit of wall next to it. She had to stand sideways, because there was a portrait of Lady Warumagi five or so inches away from the door frame.

"Why do ya have a hair pin if ya don't have any proper hair?" asked Raph.

She gave him a small smile. "I had the feeling that your method of opening doors would fail, so I quickly went and got it from my room."

He glared at her but was unable to remain cross with her for more than a few seconds.

Blossom didn't say anything about Foxglove not returning to her position on the other end of the corridor, though Raph could tell by her expression that she was thinking about it. He waited and, seeing that Foxglove had gotten comfortable and wasn't going to move, went to take over her post.

He looked down the hallway. It was empty and deserted of life. Outside, it was hot and the other students were taking full advantage of the evening's weather. He groaned.

After a while, Blossom began jogging up and down anxiously, acting like she needed the toilet. Foxglove ignored the pair of them and closed her eyes. It was tempting to go up to her and shout 'boo', just to see what happened, but Raph decided against it and continued watching nothing happen.

Blossom looked at them both worriedly. "Do you think they're talking to the Lord in there? I mean, it's been a while."

"It's been maybe ten minutes or so," shrugged Foxglove, her eyes still closed. "If they're looking for a document, they'll take a while. The Lord's office is full of stuff."

"I know…" she lowered her gaze. "I guess I'm just being a worrywart. Still, the Lord will either be in there or be on his way. Where else can he be?"

"I don't know. I don't hang out with him in my spare time," retorted Foxglove, crossing her arms irritably. "Just keep watching out for him. If they're getting told off by him then it's best we don't go in. Raph and I just got out of isolation, and you don't want to ruin your chances of graduating. I bet behaviour plays an important part."

Blossom nodded, walking towards Foxglove. "I know, but I've been here for ages. Years."

"Three years or so isn't that much," remarked Foxglove coldly.

"It is when the school's only existed for about four."

"Well, then you must be-"

"Calm down," growled Raph, pausing briefly as he noticed that he was the one saying that. He quickly stood in between them, though he doubted that Blossom would start a brawl. "Fightin' ain't gonna make 'em come out any quicker."

Footsteps suddenly entered their range of hearing. Before any of them could react, Wol entered the corridor they were standing in and walked towards them. He stopped, removing his wing from his forehead and looking at the trio suspiciously.

"What are you doing here?" he asked slowly, his face scrunching up.

"We were just… hanging out," Foxglove explained, grabbing hold of the other two and pulling them towards her. She put her arms over their shoulders. "My crew and I."

Wol didn't look like he believed her, but he chose to agree with her anyway. "Don't get into any trouble now."

He went to Warumagi's door and raised his wing to knock on it.

"The Lord isn't in there," she told him hastily. "He went somewhere with the servant girl."

Wol groaned, placing his head on his wings.

"Is something bothering you, sir?" queried Blossom, sounding concerned. "You seem unwell."

"Oh, I most certainly am," he said, lifting his head slightly so he could see them. "I'm so overworked that I'm not thinking straight. I feel like I'm about to black out, and I keep calling Lord Warumagi 'Walters' for some reason. I have no idea why, and he's very concerned about me. He said he wanted to see me as soon as possible so he could examine me. He's such a genius, you know."

"I think ya should lie down," Raph told him, pushing him away. "Go to the first aid room and we'll find Warumagi for ya. We don't want ya passin' out on us."

Wol nodded. "Yes… That would be best… thank you…"

He shuffled away.

When they were sure he was gone, Raph said, "Dat was ease-"

Warumagi's door opened and Laurence ran out. It slammed shut behind him. He stared at them wordlessly, before shoving Raph. "Go go go!"

"Where must we 'go go go' to?" asked Blossom, confused. "Why are you out here? Where's Charles?"

"The Lord's in there!" moaned Laurence, zooming away from them. The three students exchanged panicky expressions and went after him. Raph knew he wanted to see Warumagi, but he also knew that if he went back, Blossom or Foxglove would go with him. He didn't want to endanger their chances of graduating.

They ceased running when they reached a corridor Raph recognized as being fairly close to the one his room was in. Blossom fell to her knees and panted, clutching a stitch in her chest. Foxglove's legs were bent slightly and she was resting her hands on her thighs. Laurence and Raph were standing up straight, recovering pretty quickly.

Raph looked at him. "What the shell happened?"

He gulped, sweating. "We… we went in and the Lord wasn't in there, so we began looking through his papers. I suggested to Charles we find him tomorrow and just ask him, but he said that the Lord wouldn't tell us where he went or else he'd have already told us. We continued searching through his stuff, and I heard some footsteps coming from behind the door at the far end of the office. So I said, 'It's the Lord! He's coming!' Charles was pleased and he said that we were gonna get it and that we should grab some of his papers, so we look like we've been snooping. He said the Lord was sure to expel us, and we could be with Fang again. He stayed while I… I…"

"Ran away," finished Raph somewhat coldly.

Laurence nodded lamely.

"Coward," muttered Foxglove.

"It's not my fault!" he exclaimed. "I got scared! I couldn't think! I… I didn't really want to get expelled. I just went along with his plan, thinking we'd find something and get out alright."

"So Charles is the only one who's gonna be gettin' expelled," remarked Raph.

"He won't be," Blossom told him. "He can't be. I mean, he'll get isolated and then… then…"

Laurence shook his head. "Raph knows what's going to happen and he wasn't even here when the toilet exploded, or when we all had food poisoning for a week after Charles added rat poison to the cafeteria's food. Charles is going to totally blow this out of proportion. You know that."

They didn't know what else to say, so they didn't say anything more about it.

Raph yawned. "I'm gonna go to my room and rest."

"I think I'll go to my room too," piped up Blossom. "I'm kind of sleepy. All this action has worn me out."

Foxglove followed her as their rooms were very close together. Laurence walked in the opposite direction. Raph waited until they were all gone before going to his room. He went to his bed and lay on his back. However, he didn't sleep. He couldn't sleep. The fate of Charles was at the front of his mind.

Raph hadn't been expelled because he couldn't leave the school (or rather, Warumagi didn't want him to leave), and Foxglove had promised to keep something secret from him. She knew something Raph didn't and he longed to find out what it was, especially because it was about him.

Charles, he thought silently, was screwed. Big time. No doubt about it. Raph took slight comfort in that it was what he had sought out to do. He turned onto his side and pulled a face.

It would take a lot of sparring to make him feel better.

TMNTNMT

Laurence lay on his bed, a guilty expression on his face.


	15. A Moment to Remember

**Hey maybe I should kill Raph off? :P Hehe, I won't... maybe.  


* * *

**The alarm clock lay ticking in a lifeless room. It would go off in a few hours, but there would be no one there to hear it. It would ring for a minute before becoming silent once more.

_If there was nobody there to hear it, would it make any noise?_

Raphael did not think about this as he went towards the dojo. His mind was on other things.

He had only been able to sleep for an hour or so, after he had endured a long period of time that consisted of moving restlessly. He didn't know what time it was; he hadn't thought to check before leaving his room. He had the feeling that it was far too early for him to be up, but he didn't want to stay in bed. He wanted to take his mind off what was keeping him up.

He would have gone to see whether Charles was still at the school, but he didn't know where his room was. He knew where the lunch hall, the dojo, his own room, the library, the lecturing hall and Lady Warumagi's room were, as well as a few others, but he didn't know where everyone else slept. It had never crossed his mind to ask or find out, because he had never had a reason to go visit them. After the 'walking into the girl's bathroom' incident, he was more than reluctant to take any more guesses.

He was halfway there when he heard two people talking quietly. Raph walked backwards so he was safely out of sight, around the corner. He recognized the voices as Warumagi's and Katrina's.

"My Lord, why must you expel Charles? He didn't do anything wrong."

"He went through my papers. He broke into my office and read them. He said so himself. I simply cannot let him stay here when he potentially knows all of my plans."

"What about Foxglove? She certainly knows about your plan involving Raphael's brother. You told her that she could stay if she remained quiet. Why didn't you expel her?"

"She will not mention it to anyone. She promised. She knows that if she does, I will be the first one to know. Then, I would have to expel her and the person she told- or worse. Doing that would be very suspicious. It's easier if I let her stay. Besides, I doubt she knows all of my plan. If she did, she wouldn't have brought Raphael here."

"What about Charles?"

"Charles' case is different. I have very important papers in my office. Who knows how much he had truly read? He even had the nerve to suggest that he would tell everyone what he had found out. That is why I have to lock my office and severely punish all those who enter. It's so information cannot spread. There are things in there that not even you know about."

A pause. They stopped walking.

"Don't you trust me, sir?"

"No. I only tell you things you _need_ to know. Things that you don't need to know, you will not."

"Is that why you chose not to tell me about your family?"

Raph heard something that sounded like a slap. Even though it was Katrina who been on the receiving end, it felt as though he was the one who had been struck. His body shook slightly, and he only just stopped himself from running out and strangling Warumagi. He had beaten up a lot of people, but he had never hit a girl smaller than him.

Yet... He didn't want to blow his cover. He couldn't. Katrina was his friend, even if she had been giving him the cold shoulder recently. If he was to reveal himself, he wouldn't be able to overhear any more of their conversation. Who knew if a similar opportunity would present itself to him?

_"She certainly knows about your plan involving Raphael's brother."_

_"There are things in there that not even you know about."_

After a minute or so, he heard their footsteps continue once more. Katrina restarted the conversation in an apologetic and mournful tone of voice.

"I'm sorry, my Lord. I forgot that it is disrespectful to talk about their deaths to you. You loved them very much. It must be painful, thinking about them like that. I'm very sorry."

"You should be," he replied coldly.

Katrina changed the topic slightly.

"They are beautiful, my Lord. Your family, I mean. They are by far the most stunning looking individuals I have ever seen. These paintings display this extremely well."

"I'm the only human you have 'ever seen.'"

"Yes, but I can still tell that they are very pretty. Your wife…"

"Melissa."

"Melissa… Her appearance is so flawless and graceful. I wish I could look as amazing as her."

"You won't. No one could be as beautiful as her."

"And your daughter…"

Silence. Then…

"What about her?"

"Oh." Katrina had been expecting him to say her name, but she thought that it would be rude to ask for it now. "She is… cute. How old is she?"

"_Is_? What do you mean, _is_?"

Raph edged sideways so he could see the pair, while still remaining out of sight. Warumagi had his back to him and was standing over a cowering Katrina. She looked younger than the girl she was asking about.

"I… I mean was… I f-forgot. I meant how old was she before she died? I mean…"

Warumagi raised his hand but didn't hit her this time. Raph was glad because it meant she didn't get hurt again, and because he knew that if he had seen her get smacked, he would have _definitely_ ran out and tried to 'help' her. And by help, he meant start a physical fight with the headmaster. He saw Warumagi relax and start to turn around. Raph quickly hid back around the corner.

"She was twelve."

Katrina said something else, but the Lord's voice rose so Raph couldn't hear her.

"What is this, twenty questions? Haven't you got cleaning to do? The students made a big mess of the lunch hall last night, and you have to clean it before they wake up."

"Please… I wish to ask you something, my Lord. It has nothing to do with your family. It is just one more thing."

"I choose what I answer, not you. I told you to clean the lunch hall **now**. Go on, get lost!"

Raph could hear someone heading in his direction, but he couldn't see who it was. If it was Katrina, he was sure that she would be a loyal friend and not acknowledge his presence to Warumagi. If it was him, however…

The footsteps were quite light and fast, giving Raph the impression that it was Katrina who was heading towards him. He silently sprinted down the corridor and into the room at the end of it. He moved away from the door so he wasn't standing in front of it. He sighed, smiling at where he was. She was sure to come here and not be suspicious about why he was there. He could just tell her that he couldn't sleep or he was meeting up with Blossom. Then, he planned on trying to find out what was happening. He had a few questions that he wanted to ask her.

Next to him, the doors of the lunch hall opened and Katrina walked in. They closed behind her. She turned around to watch them do so and saw Raph in the process.

They stood, gazing at each other wordlessly. She smiled faintly at him- before running away and going through the doors on the other side of the room.

"Hey!" Raph recovered from his surprise and ran after her. "Kitty! Where are ya goin'?"

She didn't look back. Raph clenched his fists and continued chasing her. He reached the door before it closed and saw her round the corner. She was pretty fast, but now wasn't the time to admire her speed. He was determined to find out why she never wanted to hang out with him anymore. He had thought that they were friends, but now she appeared even colder than she had been the first time they had met.

He followed her down a few more corridors before rounding a corner, finding himself in a hallway that was littered with several doors on either side. He paused and looked at each one. He didn't know which one she had gone through. He searched desperately for any sort of hint that would reveal her location but had no success.

Deciding to risk it, he ignored all of the doors and went down the corridor, heading into the next one. He could hear the not so distant pattering of her feet, which alerted him that he had made the right choice. He continued, determined to talk to her. One sentence stuck out in his mind, replaying over and over again.

_"She certainly knows about your plan involving Raphael's brother."_

He had tried to get the information out of Foxglove before, but she had only told him a limited number of facts. She had told him that she didn't know any more than what he had just been told. Even if she did know more than what she was letting on, he knew he wouldn't be able to get the information out of her easily.

He had lived with three of the most stubborn creatures in the world, so he knew what stubbornness was. It was near impossible to deter Leonardo when he had his mind set on something, it was hard to get Donatello off his computer without breaking it, and Michelangelo could spend hours upon hours playing a video game if he had a high score to beat. Even he, Raphael, could be stubborn, especially where his older brother was concerned. He knew when someone wouldn't give in.

If Katrina knew Warumagi's secret, she couldn't be expelled or sentenced to isolation if she told him it. She would know much more about it than Foxglove did. If Katrina wouldn't tell him it, at least he could get her to explain why she was avoiding him so much. He didn't remembering offending her, so he didn't see why she wouldn't want to be near him.

He was about to increase his speed when a voice from behind him said his name. He hesitated and lost his chance.

Katrina was well and truly gone.

He gritted his teeth and turned around. Blossom was standing by a door, blinking sleepily. It wasn't her fault. She hadn't known he was chasing Katrina. However, he still felt irritated with her.

She walked forwards, staggering a bit. "Raph? Why are you up so early? I heard a noise outside my room, and my alarm clock said it was only quarter past five. I went to see what it was and… it was you! Why did you have to scare me like that? I thought you were something else and I… What are you doing here? I didn't know you knew where the girl's dormitories were."

Raph put on a fake smile so she wouldn't see his disappointment in losing sight of Katrina. "I couldn't sleep. I was too busy thinkin' about Charles. It kept me up most of the night, so I decided to go see you instead."

He didn't think she would like it if he told her that he had been chasing the servant girl around the school. Something about that sounded wrong. Very wrong.

Blossom beamed at him, touched. "Oh, how nice of you! I didn't get much sleep either. I had the dream again, but I was able to force myself to wake up before much happened."

"Cool," he said.

"What do you want to do now? I mean, the library won't be open for ages and the dojo will be locked…" Blossom's eyes shined. "Oh! You can come into my room and we can hang out."

Raph coughed, blushing slightly at the thought of going into a teenage girl's bedroom. "Uh… I'm fine."

"What's the matter with your face? Have you got a rash…?" she realized and giggled. "Aw… you're blushing. Don't worry; I haven't got any underwear lying around or anything. Pinkie swear!"

Raph's cheeks darkened even more. He took one look down the corridor before following her into her room.

It was a lot smaller than his room, and the bed was nowhere near as big or inviting to sleep in as his. The carpet was a dull brown colour and the walls were a faded orange. She had a small chipped wardrobe in which she kept her few clothes and belongings, as well as a stool that stood next to her bed, an alarm clock sitting on top of it. He could see a tiny desk in the corner of the room that was the home of a pile of papers, but other than that the room contained nothing else. She either had a cramped room or he just had a big one.

Blossom sat down on the edge of her bed, kicking off her slippers and wiggling her toes. She had five on each foot, which was completely different to his two toed feet. Her nightdress was pale pink and rather baggy. It did nothing to show off her figure, but it didn't seem to bother her. She patted the bit of bed next to her, and he sat down.

Blossom hummed quietly, either not noticing the awkward silence or not finding it uncomfortable. Raph personally thought that it was.

"Raph…" she said slowly.

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering… do you think I'm very good at dancing?"

"I don't really know much about dancin', but…"

"But? Oh! You can't judge me until I dance properly! Would you like to watch me now?"

Raph realized why she had asked him to come into her room. She didn't want anyone else to see her dance. It made him feel pleased that she wanted _him _to watch her dance and no one else.

"Sure."

She smiled and got to her feet. She didn't have much room to dance in, but he could tell that she had spent a long time practicing from how fluently she moved. Dancing, he thought, was a bit like the katas Master Splinter taught him and his brothers, only what she was doing had nothing to do with the martial arts.

She didn't wobble when she span on her toes and bent her arms just the right amount, so they weren't exactly straight but they were definitely not crooked. The expression on her face was so intent and serious that Raph couldn't help but stare at it for a few seconds. When she jumped, she landed with a muffled thud and didn't lose her balance. Her back remained straight though he had the feeling that if her shell wasn't in the way, she would have arched her back.

After two minutes or so she stopped and turned to him. She held out her hands and hunched up her shoulders, trying to remain as modest as possible. "Did you like it?"

Raph nodded. "It was great."

"For real?"

He chuckled. "For real."

"Because, you know, I was thinking…" She began rocking back and forth on her heels. "Maybe… I could enter the talent show on Saturday. I didn't think I was very good at dancing but if you think I am…"

"I ain't the sorta guy who knows a lot about dancin'," he said quickly.

"I don't care," she said, "about what other people think of my dancing. I could make them feel nauseous with my choreography and I wouldn't care. As long as you like my dancing, I will dance and dance and dance. I'll dance until the cows come home, Raph. Just for you."

He was touched. She held out her hand and Raph took it in his. He got to his feet and grinned at Blossom. She smiled, leaning towards him. He stiffened. His heart thumped, but it turned out that the tails of his mask had gotten tangled and she was only smoothing them out. She moved back and began spinning him around the room.

"We ain't doin' the waltz again, are we?" he asked.

"No! This is the _warts_," she giggled. "Oh, I'm so happy Raphael! I'll dance for you at the talent show. It doesn't matter if I don't get a trophy or a certificate. No matter what place I come, I will always win, just as long as you're happy."

They stopped dancing after Blossom got a stitch in her side. Panting, she checked the time. It was nearly six o'clock.

"Why don't we go to the dojo?" she suggested.

"Sure, ya can show me yer dance again," he answered. "It'll be easier 'cos ya will have more room to dance in."

"I'm too tired to dance," she said. "How about we go to the dojo and you can show me some fighting stances? You need to make sure you don't forget how to do them."

"I can't forget how to fight," he chuckled. "It's been part of my life for so long, it comes naturally to me. Anyways, I thought ya said ya didn't like fightin'?"

She nodded. "I don't like it, but _you _do. I like dancing and you like fighting. Come on. It's only fair you show me some katas. I showed you my dance."

"Sure," he shrugged, leaving the room. "I bet ya will be good at them."

"I'll be a moment!" Blossom told him. "I just need to do something. Wait outside for me. I'll be out in a sec."

She watched Raph leave her room. When he was gone, she went to her desk and began fingering the poster that was on top of the pile of papers on it. It was advertising the talent show. She knew she shouldn't have taken it out of the lunch hall, but it had required a lot of staring at it to convince her that she should ask Raph whether she should dance in it. She looked at it while she was in bed and while she did her homework. She had looked at it for hours before coming to a decision.

She desperately wanted to dance wonderfully in the talent show so Raph would be proud of her. She imagined the scene in her head. She came first place and everyone was cheering. Raph raced onto the stage and barged through the crowd so he could get to her. Then, he grabbed hold of her and twirled around, dancing. They weren't on the stage anymore. They were out on the fields and the light that was being reflected by the moon lit up everything with an unearthly glow. She could see each individual blade of grass, which were wet with dew, though she was more focused on Raph. He leaned forwards and held her tightly. She could see the battle scars on his face that hadn't quite faded, and she could feel his warm breath. Then, he closed his eyes and she closed hers and-

A cold, sharp laugh rang through her ears. She was no longer dancing. She was in a cold glass container in a dark room. She banged her fists on the glass window in front of her but couldn't break it. She tried to scream for help but something was in her mouth… She couldn't breathe… She was… drowning…

"Blossom? Blossom!"

She hadn't noticed that she had closed her eyes. She opened them and saw Raph crouching next to her. He looked worried.

"What happened?" he asked. She noticed that she was on her knees. "I heard a thump and saw ya fall to the ground. Are ya okay? Ya ain't hurt, are ya?"

"No..." she said, smiling foolishly. She had to smile or else he would get worried. She had to pretend everything was alright. If she did, then maybe things would be alright.

She pretended a lot of time. It came so easily to her. All she had to do was smile and then everyone else would smile. It made things a lot easier, if other people didn't looked troubled. It made it easier to believe that everything was alright.

"I fell," she lied, circling a spot on the carpet with her finger. "I slipped over and I think I lost consciousness for a second. I'm okay now though."

She suspected that he didn't totally believe her, but he smiled regardless. "Ya should be more careful. I don't want ya gettin' hurt."

She nodded, listening to the sound of a clock ticking.

He helped her up and escorted her out of her room.


	16. A Moment to Love

Blossom was sitting on a bench that was leaning against one of the dojo's walls, watching Raphael punch a nonexistent opponent. After a few arm movements, he flipped backwards in the air and landed neatly on his feet. He began kicking his right leg out in front of him, moving in fast and rapid movements. She smiled, not taking her eyes off him. It was like he was dancing, only he wasn't.

If there was only a slight difference between what he was doing and dancing, then why did she dislike fighting so much? She knew the answer. It wasn't the actions she hated. It was the fact that katas often trained people to hurt others. There was meant to be a person's face where Raph's fist finished, and a chest where Raph's foot extended to. She hated hurting people. She wouldn't mind practicing the katas, but she didn't want to put them into context.

Raph came to a stop, panting. He hadn't done this much work for a long time. He grinned at Blossom before walking over to her. She smiled back, getting to her feet and standing in front of him.

"Why don't we go get a drink?" suggested Blossom. "You look like you could do with one."

"I'm fine." Raph poked his heaving chest. "I… I just need to get my breath back."

She pointed at the clock on the wall. "It's nearly eight. You've been at it for about two hours."

"Before I came here, I used to do a lot more," he told her. "This is nothin' compared to the trainin' I did when I was at home."

"That was then. You aren't at your home now, are you?" she reminded him gently. "Come on, let's go have some breakfast. We have double history this morning, and we need to make sure our energy levels are high."

Under his breath, Raph remarked, "I know I ain't back home." Loudly, he called, "Okay, you win. I'm right behind ya."

Blossom waited outside the room for him, and the pair made their way to the lunch hall. They were silent, the two of them deep in thought about different things. It seemed like only a few seconds had passed before they arrived at their destination.

They both got their food and went to sit at one of the tables. Foxglove was sitting at one with Laurence, though neither were talking to each other. Blossom sat with them, so Raph did as well. Foxglove glanced at them coldly, before lowering her gaze and continuing to eat her bowl of cereal. Laurence was a lot friendlier and gave them a warm smile.

"Hullo, you two. Where were you?"

Foxglove muttered something that Raph didn't quite catch, but it caused Blossom's cheeks to darken and Laurence to cough into the back of his hand.

"We were in the _dojo,_" Blossom told them, emphasizing 'dojo' very heavily. "Raph was just showing me some katas."

"Katas?" repeated Laurence, confused. "What are they?"

"They're like... " She tried to find an easy way of describing them. "They're when you practice fighting techniques and stances. Raph's ever so good at them."

"We've all seen him during our practical lessons," Foxglove snapped. "We're fully aware of his level of _talent_. I mean, he does show us up every lesson."

Laurence chuckled, looking at her. "You don't have to be so cranky. You know Raph's the best in those lessons. You don't have to be jealous."

"Jealous? I'm not jealous," she grumbled, before smirking slightly. "We'll see whose laughing when the Lord gives the announcement."

"What announcement? He only gives them on Monday or if he has something important to tell us ."

"Good morning everyone," boomed Warumagi's voice cheerfully. "I hope that you all had a great day yesterday. Wol has informed me that many of you have signed up to take part in the talent show, which delights me to no end. However, I now have to tell all of you something very unfortunate." His voice's tone became grave. "First of all, there will not be any more lessons for the remainder of this week. Wol became dangerously ill overnight, so he cannot teach you. Besides, I think you all deserve a break. However, detentions are to go ahead as scheduled. They will be run by me, and I expect all fifteen of you to be there tomorrow. Let us hope that Wol makes a full recovery. Also, I am positive that you all know Charles, or you have at least heard of him. I'm sorry to say that he will no longer be at this school due to recent events that have forced me to exclude him. I'll remind you now that my office is out-of-bounds, as well as marked doors. He will be sorely missed, and I hope that all of you stay out of trouble. That is all."

The room vibrated as an explosion of voices erupted out of the stunned silence.

"Did you hear what he said? Charles got expelled!"

"Uh, it was pretty hard _not _to hear."

"Ha ha, fail!"

"What, did he go into the Lord's office?"

"I heard he tried to punch the Lord in the face."

"Wow, I wouldn't even dream about going in there."

"That's not fair! Foxglove and Raphael went around the school in the dead of night and _they_ didn't get expelled."

"Why couldn't Charles have been in isolation for a month?"

The students turned to face Raph's table, all wearing a mixture of expressions. He felt slightly uneasy having all this attention on him, but he didn't show it. Instead, he scowled back at them.

Blossom mumbled something but obviously didn't have the confidence to say it loudly in front of everyone. Laurence nodded and turned to the rest of the school. "Hey, they didn't ask for their punishment to not be expulsion. The Lord gave them it and they're grateful for his kind-heartedness."

Raph flinched. He wouldn't call it Warumagi being kind as such, but he wasn't going to correct him any time soon. It was better they think that than them knowing Foxglove had kind of blackmailed Warumagi into giving them a non permanent punishment.

The silence that followed this statement developed into a quiet murmur, and the rest of the school soon looked away and began talking to each other. Raph sighed, turning away from them and eating his breakfast. Foxglove had finished hers and was leaving the table, while Laurence was nibbling his third piece of toast. Blossom was leaving the table with what seemed to be her untouched bowl of cereal. Raph quickly wolfed down his food and chased after her. She was about to leave the lunch hall when she felt him grab hold of her shoulder.

"Hey, Blossom," he said. "Ya didn't eat much. Are you alright?"

She blinked, prior to saying, "Oh, I'm fine. I'm just not hungry, that's all. I had a big dinner last night."

"Ya ate as much as the rest of us," he told her. "What's botherin' you?"

"What makes you think that something's wrong?"

"Just an instinct." He shrugged. "Ya don't usually eat so… little."

"I'm just watching my weight. I don't want to be all fat and lumpy when I dance on Sunday. I don't want to look silly in front of everyone."

"Ya won't look silly 'cos ya ain't fat, and even if ya were no one would care. At lunch yer gonna eat all yer food, got it?"

Blossom smiled and saluted. "Yes sir."

"I… I just don't want ya to get sick or anythin'. I'm worried about you... I care, s'all."

"I know," she assured him, "and... I... I care about you too." Her cheeks were slightly darker than normal and she shook her head. "So... now what do you do? We don't have any lessons for the rest of the week."

"Uh… We could..."

"We could read through some of our class notes," suggested Blossom thoughtfully. "I think it would be a good idea, seeing as you don't really listen in class."

Raph held up his hands. "Hold it right there, Blossom. We have the week off. I think we should just… relax, ya know? Take a break from all those math problems, essays and... whatever else we're meant to do durin' lessons."

Blossom narrowed her eyes, considering what he had just put forward. "We could, I guess. I mean... Yeah…" The more she thought about it, the more appealing it sounded. "A break. I haven't had one of those for ages. Do you want to go outside, Raph? It'll be nice and warm, and I'll have plenty of room to dance in. I could show you what my dance looks like when I'm not all cramped up in my room."

"Sure," he said, following her out of the lunch hall. When they were both out of it, he walked a bit faster so he was by her side. The other students were going off in different directions, all eager to go find somewhere to hang out and chill. It didn't look as though they got many weeklong breaks during the year.

The two turtles walked towards the door leading outside in silence, though it wasn't an awkward one that made Raph squirm uncomfortably. When they reached it, Blossom opened the door, letting in the gentle morning sunshine. The pair of them escaped into the fresh air, breathing it in and sighing. Blossom looked around, trying to find a good place to dance.

"There!" She pointed at Raph's favourite spot next to the lake. "You can sit in the shade while I show you my dance."

They sprinted against the still air and came to a stop a few feet away from the tree. Blossom pointed at it, raising a finger to her beak. "Sh… Look who's there!"

Raph looked. A small girl was leaning against the tree, sitting up but fast asleep. Her small face was mostly covered up by her tangled blonde hair, but it was still visible. She was wearing a dull black dress that had a white trim, and her foot garments lay on the grass next to her. Her eyes were closed, but he didn't need them to be open in order for him to know what colour they were. Her mouth was slightly ajar, and she looked like she was hugging herself. Raph smiled like a father does to their daughter when they've fallen asleep in front of the television.

"Her name's Katrina, isn't it?" said Blossom, resisting the urge to hug her. "The servant girl. Aw… doesn't she look sweet, sleeping like that?"

"Simply adorable," answered Raph emotionlessly, sitting down next to her. "Hey, are ya goin' to show me yer dance?"

"But won't she-?"

"Katrina ain't gonna stop ya dancin'," Raph interrupted. "We have as much right to be here as she does."

"Okay…" Blossom said uncertainly, starting her routine. She was a bit rigid at first, and Raph could see her glancing anxiously at Katrina. However, within twenty seconds, she had forgotten about her and was dancing as calmly and elegantly as normal. Raph watched, the morning's warmth and her dancing nearly stopping him from noticing that Katrina was stirring next to him. He forced himself to take his eyes off Blossom and look at her. Despite looking like she was in another world, Blossom stopped dancing instantly and peered at her as well.

"Rise and shine," murmured Raph, seeing Katrina's eyelids flutter.

"Oh!" She widened her eyes. She stared at Raph in horror, getting to her feet and backing away from him drunkenly. "I… The Lord is expecting me now… I will…"

"What the shell is the matter with you?" asked Raph, getting to his feet angrily. "What have I done to-?"

Katrina's left foot touched the air before stepping into the lake. She wobbled, flapping her arms wildly… and fell backwards into the body of water.

Raph heard Blossom start to scream, but she was cut off when he dived in after Katrina. She was sinking downwards, back first. Raph ducked his head and kicked his legs. The lake was surprising deep and he thought he could see a dark tunnel near the bottom, but he didn't have the time to contemplate about what it contained. He could see bubbles erupting out of her nose and her mouth. He pushed himself forwards and reached out his arms.

He wrapped his arms around Katrina, embracing her in a hug. He looked at her briefly before shoving his mouth onto hers, sharing his air. Then, he twisted his body around and began swimming back up to the surface. As he got closer, he started to see a blobby dark figure. He swam even faster, wrapping more of his arms around her frail body.

The moment he felt the top of the lake shatter against his head, he removed his mouth and gasped for breath. Blossom, who had been kneeling over the lake's edge, immediately began to help him out.

He lay on the grass with Katrina on his plastron, who was breathing very faintly. Blossom turned her over, so she was facing upwards, and began pressing her hands against her chest. Raph felt this and twitched, before lifting his head so he could see what Blossom was doing.

Katrina spluttered, curling up into a ball and falling sideways off of Raph. After a slight coughing fit, she raised her head and stared into the distance, confused. Blossom fell to her knees so she could see her better.

She placed a hand onto Katrina's shoulder, concerned. "Are you alright?"

Katrina remained silent, dropping her head and resting it on the grass.

"Hello?" Blossom rested her head against the ground and looked into Katrina's unfocused eyes. "Are you alright?"

She didn't answer.

"Are you dead?" asked Blossom, smiling slightly.

"If she was dead... she wouldn't be able to... answer ya," Raph pointed out, not seeing her facial expression.

Blossom giggled silently, sitting up after she saw Katrina's eyes open for a second. "She's okay. Well... she's not, but I don't think she's injured. It looks like she's just in shock. We should take her to the Lord."

"Yeah," agreed Raph quietly. Breathing loudly, he gently brushed his hand against the servant's right cheek. She shivered as he did so but didn't do anything else. He doubted that Warumagi would feel sorry for her, but the turtle was sure that the headmaster would make sure she was alright.

"You were amazing," complimented Blossom, "diving in after her like that. I mean, you didn't even think. You just went straight in. Your reaction time was amazing, and I saw you giving her your air. That was so… selfless and... stunning and..." She frowned when she noticed that Raph was breathing noisily. "Are _you _alright, Raph? Your breathing sounds very irregular."

"Just… gettin'… my breath back," he told her.

"I think I know a good way of getting it back," she said quietly.

"I'm all ears."

Suddenly, he felt her beak press against his. Raph, surprised, lurched backwards. This caused the two of them to fall into the lake, shouting and splashing wildly.

Raph re-emerged, gasping. Blossom's head bobbed up a bit after his, her eyes squinting slightly. They climbed back out of the water and sat on the grass.

Blossom stared at him, dripping. "Why did you fall back like that? I didn't need a bath."

"You… you…" Raph didn't know whether Blossom had intended her action to be what he had interpreted as, or whether it had been an innocent gesture. He gulped, before saying, "Uh… when ya put yer mouth on mine like dat… what were yer tryin' to do?"

"I was trying to help you get your breath back." She tilted her head to one side, blinking rapidly.

"Oh," he mumbled. He couldn't believe he had jumped to such a ridiculous conclusion. He felt like a bigger bonehead than Mikey at that moment.

"You sound disappointed. Why? What did you think I was doing?"

"Uh… It doesn't matter."

"Come on, I won't laugh." She looked so sincere he decided that he might as well tell her.

"I thought ya were kissin' me," he blurted out, feeling stupid and crossing his arms. He waited for her to emit a series of giggles and to hear that it had been a big misunderstanding.

Blossom blinked, her face creasing a bit. "Oh."

She sounded hurt so Raph held up his hands. "I ain't sayin' dat ya were tryin' to. I mean, I wouldn't have anythin' against ya kissin' me… I mean… I would... I think... I don't know... I just thought dat…"

"I understand." She blushed, bringing her legs up to her chest and resting her chin on her knees. "We can forget it ever happened, if you want. I'm sorry… It was so silly of me. I should have known that you wouldn't want to. I got caught up in the moment and didn't even pause to think that it could ruin our friend-"

"Hang on, ya _knew_ you were kissin' me?" he exclaimed. "I thought…"

"Yes?"

"I just thought dat it was one of those times…"

"What times?"

"Those times when I thought ya were flirtin' with me, but ya weren't and it was just me jumpin' to freaky conclusions. Like when ya passed me dat note sayin' ya wanted to show me yer moves… and when ya leaned towards me to move my mask tails… I thought ya were gonna kiss me… and now…"

Blossom stared at him, before bursting out laughing. Her legs shot out in front of her, and she put her hands on either side of her body. She threw her head back and began giggling manically. Raph stared at her wordlessly, very bewildered and confused. He wondered whether she had suddenly lost her mind.

She stopped after a minute and said in a cheery voice, "Oh… Silly you!"

"Wha'?"

"You weren't jumping to freaky conclusions at all," she told him. She paused, before saying, "Did you like… it?"

He knew what 'it' was, but he wasn't too sure what the answer was. It had been too sudden and short, but still… the feeling hadn't been too bad. It had been different, but he wouldn't have said that was a bad thing. In fact, he had sort of enjoyed it, while it had lasted... he thought. He couldn't think straight, so he just nodded at her.

"If you were to need air again…" She rolled her eyes playfully. "Would you… ask me to give you some?"

"I dunno... maybe. I'd have to try it again."

"Do you need any air now, or have you gotten your breath back?"

He looked at her. She had such adorable eyes... He shook his head. He didn't know what he felt for her. She was his friend... maybe he should kiss her again and see what it felt like? He didn't know. Raph said, "Maybe... I could do with some more though."

"What about Katrina? Will she be okay?"

Raph looked at her. He could see Katrina's eyes were open. "She'll be alright. We should let her get some of her energy back before takin' her to Warumagi. 'Sides, the Sun will dry her clothes a bit. He wouldn't be too pleased if he saw her soakin' wet."

Blossom tapped his beak. "Then how about I give you some air in the meantime?"

They leaned towards each other and the kiss, this time, was much more enjoyable. They didn't fall into the lake or flinch. It wasn't as romantic as the kisses were in Master Splinter's soap operas, but that didn't make it any less pleasant. While they were kissing, Raph hoped that his breath didn't smell too bad, and Blossom was worried that she would accidentally bite him or something.

Katrina looked at them for a moment before averting her gaze. Her heart was thumping loudly, and she hoped that this wouldn't draw attention to her. She gulped, prior to looking back at them nervously. She felt uncomfortable watching them, but she felt unable to _not_ observe them.

TMNTNMT

Lord Warumagi leaned forwards on his chair, staring intently at the computer screen in front of him. He lifted his finger and pressed it against the virtual Raph, trying to block him out. Unfortunately, he took up a fair amount of the screen, meaning he could still see him. Warumagi rested both of his hands against the monitor's face. Then, he span around on his chair so that he was no longer facing him.

He got up and swiftly crossed the room, stopping at his workstation. He turned to face something that was in one of the room's shadowy corners, his rage filled expression vanishing. Whatever it was, it made a low growling sound.

He smiled slightly.

"Don't worry, darling. I've been working all day for years, trying to find the solution to our problems. I think I've found out how to get them to the state you're in. Then, I can get to work on finding a way of reverting you back to your original state."

It growled again.

"Darling, I know it's been a long time, but you don't understand how hard it's been for me. Once I discover what the antidote is, I can get make you normal again. After that, I can get revenge on those who shunned me and made our lives the way it is. It's their fault you're like this."

It growled again.

"Yes, doing it on a large scale will cost a lot of money. I mean, there are more than six billion people on this planet. But I can get the money. Thank goodness I came across Katrina, or else I would never have found out about Leonardo's bounty. It will be more than enough to fund my plan. I just have to get hold of him. It shouldn't be too hard, seeing as I have his pathetic brother."

It growled again.

"Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about her. I will fix her too."

It growled again.

Warumagi winked at it and beamed. "I knew you'd be pleased."

It growled again.

He turned his head and looked at the television screen. "I know you don't like it, darling, but what else can we do?"

It growled again.

"Well… I didn't want her to 'graduate' until we knew-"

It growled again.

"But _darling_!"

It growled again.

He sighed, bowing his head. "Whatever makes you happy."


	17. A Moment Betrayed

Foxglove was in a bad mood.

Well.

A worse mood than usual.

She was sitting in the library with Laurence, tapping her fingers against the table. They had managed to sneak past the librarian and settle themselves at the back of the room. The lemur hybrid was reading a book about something she didn't care about. She didn't even know why she was there, at first. Then, she stared into space and was reminded of why she was with him.

She had nothing better to do.

Blossom and Raphael had gone off together after breakfast. She could have gone with them, but she was sure that if she had done, she would have been a third wheel. She could picture it all too clearly. They would be chatting, playing and joking around while she sat there with her arms crossed. Somehow, that wasn't her idea of a day well spent.

Normally, she would have hung out with Fang, but he had graduated and was no longer there. However, now that she thought about it, she wasn't sure that she would want to be with him. The more she thought about him, the more disgusted she was. She wondered whether she was even thinking about the same person. The Fang she now knew wasn't tall, cool and handsome. He was scruffy, a jerk and had taken advantage of her crush on him. She covered her face slightly in shame. She didn't want to acquaint herself with him ever again.

"Something wrong?" asked Laurence.

She shook her head, glaring at him. What made him think that she would tell him?

Laurence, for similar reasons, had found himself in the company of Foxglove. Charles had been expelled, so he didn't really have anyone else to be with. He would have liked to have gone with Blossom and Raph, but he didn't know where they were.

He tried to read some more of the book he was holding, but he was so distracted that he couldn't take any of the words in. Giving up, he left his seat and returned it to the shelf he had found it on.

He went back to the table but didn't sit down. He stood over it, trying to think of something better to do. He tried to ignore Foxglove, who was glaring at him, but had no success. She was making him feel really uneasy.

"So…" Laurence exhaled, looking at the exit. "I might… go do some homework. Then, I can relax for the rest of the week."

"What do you plan on doing?" she asked, sneering slightly. "Pretending to read like you were just now?"

He reddened. "I _was_ reading."

"With your book upside down?"

He coughed. "Oh… was it upside down?"

"Yes."

"I see." He sat down and groaned.

"Is there something bothering you?" she queried, not sounding like she cared whether he gave an answer or not.

"No... I'm just bored. If Charles was here, he would have lots of things for us to do. He always knew how to making things exciting and fun. But no... I had to get him expelled."

"Why don't you go get yourself expelled? That way, you can have as much fun with him as you want," she retorted.

Laurence ignored her, instead getting to his feet. "I'm going to go find Raph and Blossom..." He willed himself to say the next bit, so he didn't sound like a complete jerk. "Are you coming?"

"I suppose." She shrugged her shoulders, getting up from the table as well. They left the library only to nearly get ran over by a dozen students or so. The two students watched them, seeing other students come out of various doors and go in the same direction.

"Excuse me…" said Laurence, but they ignored him.

Frowning, Foxglove grabbed a penguin hybrid's wing as they passed. "Where are you all going?"

"Apparently, the servant girl fell in the lake," he told her excitedly, "so Raphael dived in and rescued her. They're taking her to the Lord right now. We're going to go and see."

"Cool!" grinned Laurence. "Do you have any idea where they are?"

"They just entered the building. They're on their way to the Lord's office," the penguin hybrid answered, breaking free of Foxglove's hold and running away. "Come on!"

Foxglove raised her eyebrows, putting her hands on her hips. "What's so exciting about seeing someone carry a servant?"

"They want to congratulate him too." Laurence began to edge into the hallway, so he could join the trickle of students running down it. "I think we should too. After all, we are his friends."

"He isn't _my_ friend," grumbled Foxglove, going after him. "Or yours, for that matter!"

They didn't know where they were going; however, the people in front of them seemed to have a vague idea, so they just followed them. After a while, their pace quickened. Laurence began running faster, but Foxglove continued moving at the same speed. She looked over her shoulder and saw that more students were joining them. She smirked, thinking how sad they all looked. Then she remembered she was one of those students and felt even more pathetic than before.

"There they are!" someone exclaimed. The clump of students spread out before rejoining a few feet ahead. Foxglove went onto her tiptoes and could just see the green heads of Blossom and Raph. She pushed her way towards them, leaving Laurence to hop up and down in an attempt to see what was happening.

She got to the front and studied them closely. Raph, Blossom and Katrina were wet, small droplets of water dripping from their bodies and onto the floor. Raph was holding Katrina in his arms, supporting her head with one and holding her below the legs with the other. She was facing away from everyone and was too still to be asleep. Blossom stood next to the two of them, answering the questions of curious students.

She caught sight of Foxglove and went up to her. "Hello! I didn't expect everyone to gather here like this."

"Neither did I," agreed Foxglove bitterly.

"I know, though I think that Raph deserves all this attention, not me. Katrina fell into the lake, and he went in after to her. He let her have some of her air and… and…" She sounded like she had something else she was desperate to say but didn't want to say it.

Foxglove, who couldn't care less, shrugged. "Whatever. Anyone would and could have done that, given the chance."

"But _he_ did," Blossom told her. "He's amazing, isn't he? He's so brave and amazing. You should have been there, watching him dive into the pool and disappear from view. He's a fantastic swimmer. He was in and out in a minute or so."

"He's a turtle. Of course he's a good swimmer."

"Hey, Raph," someone bellowed. "What were you and Blossom doing near the lake in the first place?"

Raph narrowed his eyes in their direction and replied, "We were just enjoyin' the sunshine and Katrina was there. She made to leave but slipped, and fell into the lake."

"They were kissing," mumbled Katrina.

Raph flinched, wondering whether the others had heard her. They didn't seem to, but Foxglove's ears quivered slightly. Blossom said something inaudible in the noise, pointing to him. Foxglove shrugged her shoulders, before pointing at Katrina. The female turtle hybrid looked over her shoulder and waved at them. Raph waved back half-heartedly, before looking down at Katrina. He could feel her breathing and had the feeling she was awake, but he wanted to be there when she went to Warumagi.

He wanted to make sure she didn't get hurt.

He pushed through the crowd of people, Blossom following him from behind. He turned his head and saw Foxglove shoot him a short, satisfied look as he rounded the corner. Raph faced forwards again, trying very hard to forget about Foxglove. There was a small chance she had heard Katrina and an even smaller one that she believed her. But still… Raph wondered what the chances were of her _not _using this against him later.

Very slim.

Unsurprisingly, the door to Warumagi's office was locked. Blossom pulled on its handle frantically, but it refused to budge. Raph shook his head at her. "It ain't gonna open if ya use force. Trust me on dat one."

Blossom gently rolled Katrina over in his arms so she was facing her. "Excuse me, Katrina, but where is your bedroom? We can leave you there to rest until we can find the Lord."

Katrina shook her head. "I don't have a bedroom."

"So where do ya sleep?" asked Raph.

"I have a small ro- I don't have one," Katrina murmured. She closed her eyes and wiggled, her bony elbows making impact with his plastron. "Mm… I'm so tired."

Raph frowned. "What's a small ro?"

"I… don't know what you're talking about."

"You were about to say ya had a small room. Where's yer room, Kitty?"

She began breathing gently.

"Kitty, I know ya ain't asleep. I ain't an idiot. Where is yer room?"

She murmured something and wiggled again.

"Don't make me drop ya!" snarled Raph, shaking her roughly. He wasn't in the mood to play silly games with her.

Blossom widened her eyes. "You can't drop her! She'll probably break if you do, she's so fragile."

"Hear that, Kitty? You will smash into a thousand pieces if I drop ya... Hm... or maybe I can talk to Warumagi about this and say what _really_ happened at the lake. I could say dat we were hangin' out together and..."

Katrina decided not to chance his bluff and miraculously woke up. Raph put her down gently, keeping a firm grip on her wrist. She shook it a bit, seeing that she wasn't going to be able to make a break for it. She slowly dragged her feet across the ground as she headed towards her small room. Raph would have preferred it if she had sped up, but he supposed that walking slowly was better than being a thousand pieces on the ground.

Eventually, they reached the door of what Raph had always assumed was a closet. She opened it slowly, revealing what was inside. There was barely enough room for the three of them to get in, but they managed to squeeze in.

It was very much like a closet. It was a metre wide and roughly two metres long. There was a small mat in the corner that was her bed, as well as a metal rail where her other servant outfits hung. Attached to the ceiling was a light bulb that swung violently at the slightest amount of breeze, which created strange patterns of light and shadows on the walls. In the other far corner was a box that was crammed full of papers.

They lay Katrina on the mat. Blossom began fussing over her, saying that she needed an extra pillow and a blanket. Raph examined the room with a disgusted look on his face. There were so many things it lacked. There wasn't a window or a radiator, and he could only imagine the range of temperatures it got at various times of the year. When he was younger, he hadn't had a fantastic range of stuff until Donatello had fixed up their lair, but Raph had had his family to keep him company. Together, they had been bright enough to keep each other warm… or something mushy like that.

Raph did a double take when his eyes drifted over the box of papers. He could have sworn that he had just seen his name on the one on the top. He looked over his shoulder and, seeing that the other two were distracted, pulled it out gently and read the sentence. Then, recognizing the handwriting, he read all of it. His face burned red as he read more pieces of paper.

These weren't hers. These were letters from his family. There were more than ten of them. He mouthed their pleads for him to write back, to give them a sign that he was still alive. His eyes stung as he read how they wouldn't even mind one sentence that said he was okay. He lifted his head and held the pieces of paper against his chest. He crushed them, wanting them to sink through his plastron and go inside of him.

They hadn't forgotten about him after all. It was the complete opposite. _He_ was the one who they thought had forgotten. He sniffed, determined to keep his posture.

Blossom heard him and looked at him in concern. "What's the matter, Raph? You look sad."

He turned around and showed Katrina the pieces of paper in his hands. She stared at them, shivering. She was cold, but there was another reason why her body was shaking.

Not getting a good enough response from her, he whispered, "Why?"

Her eyes welled up with tears. "I'm so sorry… I… I didn't want to. I wanted to give them to you but… he said I couldn't. The Lord told me to hide them here."

Blossom slipped out one of the letters from under his arms and read it. Realizing who they were from, she curled her fist and scrunched it up. She glared at Katrina. "That was a horrible thing to do."

Katrina whimpered, "I know. I'm sorry."

"Why did ya listen to him? Why didn't ya give 'em to me secretly?"

"You don't know what he's like. He said I had to."

Raph gave her a look that wasn't anger but disappointment. Katrina found that this was worse, and her eyes watered even more.

"I've missed my family so much. I thought they were in serious trouble. I thought they had forgotten me. But… they hadn't. Ya made me think it was their fault."

He resisted the urge to punch her in the face.

"Why would the Lord want her to hide them?" asked Blossom, confused. "What would he gain from making you worry about them?"

Raph lowered his head, realizing. "That ain't what he wants."

"What?" Blossom blinked. "But… what then?"

He raised his head and settled his gaze on Katrina's tearstained face. "He wants them to worry about me."

"Why would he want to do that?"

"'Cos it's part of his plan," he explained, not taking his eyes off Katrina. "He's up to somethin', isn't he, Kitty? I've heard you and him talkin', and I've gotten some info outta Foxglove. She took me from New York 'cos she knew Warumagi wanted a giant turtle. She told me dat she hadn't intended to take me, as I'm not the one he wants. He wants one of my brothers."

Katrina shook her head in protest, but Raph didn't want to hear her out. He raised his voice, all the anger he had tried to hide consuming him now.

"He wants one of my brothers. What's he gonna do? Make 'em so desperate dat the brother he wants will give himself up for my safety? Is he gonna draw my family here so he can capture them? Kitty, tell me what he wants. I'm supposed to be yer friend, and this is my family we're talkin' about. If ya don't, I'm gonna..."

He moved his hands towards her neck.

"I-"

_"Katrina? Where are you? I have a job for you…"_

The sound of footsteps got louder.

_"Are you in your room?"  
_

She sat up, staring down at her damp clothes and hair. Afterwards, she looked at the pair of students in horror. They all knew whose voice it was, and it was the last one they wanted to hear.

"Close your eyes and move behind there," she hissed, pointing to her rail of clothes. The turtles didn't quite fit behind it and various bits of their body could be seen. Blossom closed her eyes instantly, but Raph kept his open, suspicious, until he saw that Katrina was undressing. She stuffed her clothes into one corner and took some dry ones off the metal rail. She quickly put her new clothes on and staggered outside. It was obvious that she had not fully recovered, because she swayed as she walked, but she had to leave before Warumagi came in and came across the two students.

She closed the door behind her and they could hear her mumble something to Warumagi. There was a loud smack and Katrina began sobbing quietly. He mumbled something in response and their mumbles soon faded away.

Raph breathed heavily, not moving out of his crouching position. The light bulb above them flickered, so the room changed from pitch black to dimly lit and back again continuously. He glanced at Blossom, who was staring at the door with wide eyes.

The silence settled onto their bodies, and they could feel it pressing against their skin. Raph wiggled uncomfortably. Blossom stretched her arms out in front of her.

"Is it safe to go out?" she asked quietly.

He listened.

"Yeah, I think so."

They got to their feet and pushed the door open. It creaked loudly, causing them to flinch. Raph stuck out his head and looked both ways. The corridor seemed deserted. He stepped out with Blossom practically on his shell, closing the door behind them. Then, they exhaled loudly.

"He... he hit her!" Blossom gasped. "He... he actually hit her!"

Raph nodded. "Yeah, but she's tough. She'll be alright."

Well... he hoped she would be.

"That was too close," remarked Blossom, her chest heaving. "I thought the Lord was going to come in and find us."

"Yeah," agreed Raph. "Good thin' he didn't. I don't think he would be very happy seein' us hangin' out in his servant's room, especially when she has all those letters in there."

"You could go retrieve them now," she suggested, pointing at the door, "in case the chance doesn't arise again."

"I read most of 'em when I was in there," he assured her, the thought of reading them again making his stomach churn. "I'm gonna find a way to contact them. My family. I need to tell 'em not to come here. I have to tell 'em dat I'm alright."

"But how? Katrina won't deliver the letter if the Lord doesn't want her to," she reminded him. She sighed sadly. "I can't believe it. How can the Lord be such a… a…"

"Jerk?"

"Yes. A jerk. I mean…" She began playing with her fingers. "... From what I've seen of him, he's really nice. He's never been horrible to me. How could he be a… cold-hearted… jerk? And what's this plan you mentioned? Is he trying to capture one of your brothers?"

"Yeah," nodded Raph, seeing that he couldn't _not _tell her now. "I heard him say dat he has a plan involvin' one of my brothers. I dunno which one he wants though. I have a one in three chance of guessin' which one correctly."

"We should tell everyone," she told him passionately, clenching her fists. "We can't just let the Lord do as he pleases and get away with it."

"Blossom." He looked her in the eye. "It's easier if they don't know. We don't want this info to spread, in case it gets back to Warumagi. Promise me you will keep yer mouth shut about it."

"But-"

"Blossom," he snarled. "It ain't a question, okay?"

Hurt, she lowered her gaze.

"I don't mean it like dat," he told her quickly. "I meant dat..."

"I know what you meant," she murmured, beginning to walk away. "Look, I've got homework to do and I... I need to rest. See you later."

Raph slapped himself in the face, furious at how he had handled the situation, and called after her, "Can I at least give ya a goodbye kiss?"

As planned, she walked back to him. She gave him a tiny smile. "... Okay, but make it quick."

Raph chuckled, kissing her on the mouth. She clung onto his neck, trying to keep him there for as long as possible. He put his arms around her back, feeling her hands rest on his shoulders. They stood there, two dark figures in the murky corridor, lighting it up slightly with their newfound happiness. After a minute or so, they separated, grinning. The only sound present was the non-existent ticking in Blossom's head.

"Bye!"

He watched her run off until she rounded the corner. Raph grinned, going into his room.

He was about to go to bed when he decided that he had to do one more thing first. He got out a piece of paper and a pen. He began to write.

_Guys,_

_I know I haven't written back for ages, but it's not my fault. It's a long story, but basically-_

He scratched his chin, trying to find a nice way of putting it.

_-I didn't receive your letters because Katrina couldn't get to them. Something went wrong with her teleporter._

It was a lie, but he didn't want to put down the whole story. He couldn't let them worry about him. He couldn't make them want to rescue him. If Warumagi wanted one of his brothers, he refused to help him in any way.

_I'm fine._

He sighed. He didn't have the best vocabulary in the world, and it certainly didn't help him know what to put next.

_There's a talent show and Blossom's entered it. She's going to dance. I'm not the sort of turtle who likes dancing, but she's really good at it. If I don't write back for a while, don't freak out. I'm completely safe. I'm just really busy and they need me._

_Miss you loads,_

_Raph_

He shuddered. He hated what he had written. It was a giant lie, but he could have written a thousand different versions and he still wouldn't have been satisfied. He hoped his family would believe he was okay and not do anything crazy in an attempt to find him. He didn't know how he would send the letter to them, but he would think of a way in the morning.

Hopefully.


	18. Goodbye

**I found a card reader that could access my story files yesterday, meaning I can finally update this. Woo!**

**Sorry for the delay, you who is reading this. :)**

**

* * *

**_Blossom walked along the white corridor and went through the door at the end, before entering the room behind it. Then, she went through that room and entered another. It was dark as she slowly crept down the stairs. She had nearly reached the bottom when she became aware of what she was doing._

'_I know what's going to happen next,' she thought to herself. She was glad that she had read all those books about how to be aware of when you were dreaming, because it meant that she could try and avoid what she knew was about to happen. Without turning around, she began to walk backwards up the stairs. She had nearly reached the door when a low, growling sound filled the room._

_She jumped. She didn't know what that noise was, but it didn't sound nice._ _She ran up the stairs, hearing loud foot steps behind her. She escaped through the door and ran away as fast as she could, not daring to look back._

_Her face hit against something hard. At first she thought it was a wall; however, when she opened her eyes she discovered that it was made of glass. She tried to step away from it, but her feet felt heavy. She looked down in order to find out why. _

_Around her feet was ten inches of sand and the height of it was increasing rapidly. Glancing upwards, she noticed a stream of sand pouring out of a small hole in the glass box she was now in. Blossom blinked, trying to understand what was happening._

Tick, tock, tick, tock…

_She tried to see where the noise was coming from, but she couldn't find the source._

Tick, tock, tick, tock…

_She banged her fists on the glass, desperate to escape. The sand had reached her torso by now._

Tick, tock, tick, tock…

_She realized what she was being contained in. She was in a giant sand timer. She tried to scream, but no noise came out of her mouth._

Tick, tock, tick, tock…

_She looked forwards in horror and saw two figures in front of her. One of them was Warumagi, who was smiling cruelly at her._

_"Your time is almost up, Blossom."_

_He was holding out a pocket watch, its chain swinging from side to side like a metronome, ticking._

Tick, tock, tick, tock…

_In his other hand was a piece of rope, which was attached to the other figure's wrist. _

_The other person was Raphael._

_"Raph!" she managed to shout. "Help me!"_

_He continued looking forwards with a blank expression on his face. He clutched tighter onto the small plushie he was holding in his hand._

Tick, tock, tick, tock…

_She managed to get a brief look at it before the sand swallowed her up. It was a turtle that resembled Raphael greatly, but it didn't have the same colour mask as him. Instead of a blood red piece of material, it was wearing a blue one...  
_

Ring ring ring ring!

She sat up suddenly, gasping for breath. She was in her bed, safe and sound. She turned the alarm of her clock off, and it resumed its gentle ticking sound. She leaned forwards and gripped her knees tightly, breathing shallowly. She wanted to mull over what had happened, but she knew it was time for her to get out of bed. Raph would be wondering where she was. Thinking about him made her feel a bit better and gave her the energy she needed to leave her room and go to the lunch hall.

She was the first person to arrive, probably because everyone else was sleeping in and taking advantage of the week off. She collected her breakfast and sat down at one of the tables, though she didn't eat her food at first. She was thinking… thinking about her dream.

There was every chance that it was just a dream and nothing more. It could have been a dream that didn't mean anything. Why would it mean anything?

Deep down, she had the feeling that it was more than a mere dream. It meant… something; something that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Her first instinct was to ask Raph about it, but something inside of her told her not to. She didn't want to worry him. It was probably just a normal dream like the other ones she'd had before. The new bit was probably the result of the day before. Yes… She didn't need to bother Raph with her silly dreams.

_She had to pretend everything was alright. If she did, then maybe things would be alright._

"Hey."

She looked up. Raph was standing in front of her, a tired but big grin on his face. She smiled at him as he walked around the table so he could sit next to her, placing his tray of food in front of him. They faced each other, not quite knowing how to greet each other. After a small pause, Blossom leaned forward and kissed him gently on his right cheek.

"Hey," she said, tilting her head back and admiring him. "So… how was… your sleep?"

"Alright," answered Raph, his smile fading noticeably. "I was up all night, thinkin' about what happened yesterday with Katrina… and I have an idea."

"Oh?" She forced the ends of her mouth to stretch upwards as she thought about the dream she had experienced the previous night, before picking up her mug of milk tea. "Really? What is it?"

He slowly studied the lunch hall, searching for any students that may have entered without them noticing. There were a few, but none of them were sitting at their table. He leaned forwards. "Well, you see-"

"Hi there!" Foxglove suddenly popped out of nowhere, causing Blossom to spray tea all over her food. She sat opposite the couple, peering at them over the dark sunglasses she was wearing. She had an unusually bright smile plastered onto her face.

Raph gazed at her warily while Blossom gave her a big smile. "Hello, Foxglove! You're up nice and early."

"It's like they say... The early bird captures the worm. Dunno who 'they' are though," she replied, adjusting her glasses. "Don't mind me; continue any conversation you were having before I came here this fine day."

"Uh… it can wait," said Raph. He picked up his spoon. "I'm starvin'."

"Oh, I'm sorry, am I disrupting something?" queried Foxglove, pouting. "I thought I was your friend, but I guess…"

"You are our friend!" Blossom hastily reassured her. She didn't know why Raph didn't want to talk about his idea in front of Foxglove, who she considered a close friend, but she wasn't going to pressure him into doing so. "And a very good friend at that. It's just… um…"

"Don't worry," she told her, putting a hand on her forehead. "I understand. I'm not as close to either of you as you both are to one another. Hey, that brings me to what a little birdie told me. Apparently…" She shifted her body forwards. "You two are…"

She held up her hands and raised a finger on each one. Then, she crossed them and smacked the palms of her hands together, dragging them across her chest before laying them on the table.

"... Going out."

"We are!" Blossom said gleefully, not giving Raph any time to think about what to say in response. "Oh, Foxglove, isn't this lovely news?"

Raph examined Foxglove, trying to figure out what she was going to do next so he could brace himself for it.

"It's cute," she commented, her eyes slowly transferring from one to the other. She chuckled. "Two mutated turtles… brought together by me bringing one of them here. Do you know how privileged I feel at this moment? How… _honoured _I am? Oh yes. I'm brimming with the stuff."

"And I thank you so much for allowin' this all to happen," stated Raph. "I give ya all the gratitude in my body."

"See? You both can get along if you try," said an oblivious Blossom, ignorant of the testy looks her two friends were giving each other. "Anyway... Raph, why don't you tell us that idea you have."

"I thought you didn't want me to know about it," commented Foxglove, "or have I finally proved my worth?"

"Ya don't need to prove anythin'," Raph answered sweetly. "Besides... Maybe ya can help me. Okay, so I was thinkin' last night about stuff and I thought of somethin'. Ya know the teleporter Warumagi has?"

Blossom gasped. "You're going back to your family?"

Raph hesitated. For so long, he had yearned to return home... but now, what with Blossom… Katrina… Warumagi… the school… the desperation within it... it was withholding him from leaving. He loved his family more than anything; however, he couldn't just leave and forget about it. If Warumagi wanted one of his brothers for something, he was going to make sure that when he left, his family was safe from the headmaster.

"No." Raph shook his head. "Not yet, anyway."

"Not yet? What does that mean?"

"I dunno, Blossom," Raph mumbled. "I can't stay here forever, can I? I'm gonna find out what Warumagi's up to and stop him. He wants my brother… I can't leave here with dat piece of knowledge in my mind. I'm gonna set thin's straight and then…"

"Go home?"

Blossom's face sagged momentarily, but she was soon wearing a brave, sad yet happy face. "I'm being selfish. Of course you have to go home. Your family are sure to be fretting about you."

Raph smiled at her warmly. "Thanks. Ya know, once I find out… if ya want… ya can come wit' me. I mean, my home isn't exactly ideal, but…"

"It can be in a hole in the ground and I won't care," she told him excitedly, acting as though they were leaving the next day. "If your family wouldn't mind, I would love to live with you! I've always fancied living in New York! It sounds so nice."

Raph blinked. "Wait, how do ya know where I live?"

Foxglove waved at him. Raph sighed, unsurprised.

"Anyway," he pressed on, lowering his voice so the other two had to lean in closer in order to hear him. "My idea… I need ta get a message to ma family. I need them to know dat I'm fine and dat they can't come here. If they did, Warumagi would have a field day. I need someone to give them a letter. Dat's where the teleporter comes in. We can use dat to go to New York and deliver it."

"But… isn't the teleporter in the Lord's office?" asked Blossom worriedly. "That'd involve sneaking in and… and…"

"Charles is the perfect example of what happens when you get caught," finished Foxglove, but she didn't sound turned off by the idea. She tilted her head to one side. "Though it's not like you have much choice in the matter. You _have _to tell your family fast, before they act rashly."

"But Charles…" whimpered Blossom feebly.

"Get a backbone," retorted Foxglove. "His plan B was to get caught. That, however, is not even our plan Z. Well, I hope so." She gazed at Raph curiously.

"We need a time when Warumagi ain't anywhere near his office," said Raph, a pensive expression on his face. "Anyone got his daily schedule on dem?"

"No, but I know for a fact that he's going to be supervising detention this evening," said Foxglove. "He said so on Monday. That would be the perfect time to get in there and take it."

"Cool." Raph nodded, liking how things were in his favour for once. "So, I just gotta sneak in and take it so I can go-"

"You can't go back to your family!" exclaimed Blossom.

"Why, in case your boyfriend decides to do a runner?" smirked Foxglove, hiding her mouth with her hand and gazing at Blossom sidelong.

Blossom blushed, looking at Raph. "No! I'm just thinking… What if they see you? I know you don't want them to, but they might catch sight of you accidently and go after you. It's unlikely they'll see you, but it could happen. And then… suppose they try and stop you from coming back? Or demand to go with you? I mean… going so close to them… Raph, don't you think that you might be tempted to… go back to them, even if your intention is to only check on them? To let them know you're okay?" She lowered her gaze, her mouth slightly ajar. She looked up and settled her gaze firmly on his face. "Besides, do you even know how to operate the teleporter?"

Raph, who had gone into a trance-like state during Blossom's rant, started. "Wha'? Oh… No. I ain't gotta clue."

Foxglove jabbed her chest, a smug grin on her face. "Luckily, I do. I've used it to sneak out at least five times. Silver taught me all I need to know about it. Give me your message, a place to give it to them and I'll be on my way."

Raph sighed. His other option was Blossom, but he doubted she would like breaking a massive rule. "It looks like I ain't got much of a choice… I have a letter in my room dat I wanna give 'em. Would ya… give it to 'em? Don't read it though."

"Please," added Blossom, making his command seem more like a plea.

"No sweat." Foxglove shrugged. "Give it to me and I'll do it in the evening. It shouldn't take me too long."

"Thanks." Raph smiled, looking at Foxglove with something that wasn't irritation.

"No problem." Foxglove smiled, looking at Raph with something that wasn't hatred.

The three of them shared grins as Laurence approached their table, sitting next to Foxglove. He looked at them. "Am I… missing something?"

"Oh, no," said Blossom quickly, while Foxglove adjusted her sunglasses and Raph coughed into the back of his hand. "We were just talking about… what we're going to do today."

Laurence nodded, excited. "So what are we doing today? I haven't got any plans myself, so I'm all ears."

Foxglove spoke before the other two could. "Raph and Blossom are going to go on a little date. Did you know they are going out? Two whole months! You wouldn't want to be there while they snogged, would you?"

"What?" His eyes darted between the two in surprise. "For real?"

"It is very real." Blossom nodded, beaming and ignoring the 'two months' part. "I'm so happy."

Laurence turned to Raph, as though he needed him to say it before he could believe it.

"Yeah." Raph glared at Foxglove. "But I don't need da whole school knowin'."

Foxglove waved her hand. "Oh well, rumours spread like the plague at this school, you know? Anyway, while they're off doing 'happy lovey-dovey couple' things, I'm going to have a nice long nap in my room. I'm very tired, you know?"

She yawned loudly.

"Oh." Laurence frowned, seeing that he wasn't wanted. "Okay then. I have things to do as well."

'_Like nothing',_ he added darkly.

"Cool." The others got up from the table, picking up their barely touched food. The evening's event had filled them up far more than food ever could. Foxglove added, "See you later, Laurence."

"Yeah," he mumbled, watching them leave. "See you later."

Foxglove pulled Blossom out of the lunch hall, for she looked as though she was going to continue standing there, talking to Laurence. As soon as the door closed behind them, Blossom swatted her hands. "What's the matter? Why did we have to leave so suddenly?"

"If we stayed much longer, he'd want to hang out with us for the rest of the day," she explained, "and we can't have that, what with our plan and all. He'd ruin it, like he did with Charles' one."

"He didn't mean to. He just panicked."

"And suppose he panics again?" retorted Foxglove, putting her hands on her hips. Her sunglasses fell down her snout slightly. "We can't risk it. We'll have to avoid him until we've done it."

Blossom looked at Raph imploringly. "Don't you think we're being a little bit mean to him?"

Raph scratched the back of his head, a troubled expression on his face. "Shell, Blossom, we can't exactly tell him what we're doing. He'll wanna know why and can ya imagine explainin' it to him? 'Oh, we're just doin' what Charles did ta get expelled so Foxglove can break another rule and sneak out'. Oh sure, he'd totally support us." He grabbed her hands and squeezed them, drawing her eyes into his. "My Sensei said dat sometimes ya have to be cruel ta be kind. This is one of those times."

"I hate to break up this happy moment, but can we arrange a time to meet outside the Lord's office?" asked Foxglove loudly, making them jump apart. "I was serious when I said I wanted a nap."

"How about six o'clock?" suggested Blossom. "Detention starts at half past five, and that gives you one hour to get there and back."

"Piece of cake," said Foxglove. "Six. Got it. Be there on time, because there's no way I'm hanging around there waiting for you."

**[At half past six]**

Foxglove rounded the corner. She was wearing the same sunglasses as before, but she was also wearing a lucid yellow scarf around her neck. She was wearing a navy blue vest and dark purple trousers that slightly concealed her grey sneakers. She grinned at them, pretending that she couldn't see the irritated expression on Raph's face.

"Ya took yer time," remarked Raph coldly.

"I can't help it if these pants take ages to put on," she told them, picking at one of the legs. "So tight… I think I'll need to go on a diet."

"Now you have less than half an hour to deliver the letter!" moaned Blossom, hopping up and down. "Quickly, use your hair clip to get in."

Foxglove glowered at her but did as she was told. After a few minutes, there was a gentle click and the door creaked open. She straightened up and beamed proudly, holding out her hand for the letter.

Raph pressed it into her hand. "Don't read it. Got it?"

"I'll be a good girl," she told him, tucking it under her arm. Raph wasn't too reassured. "Where should I leave it?"

"Ya know where ya found me? Near there, there's a place called '2nd Time Around'. Go there and put the letter through the mail box. If ya see a redheaded woman or a dark haired man, deliver it and run."

"Okay." She went through the door and Raph could see the lump in the back of her trousers, which was caused by her tail. "I'll see you whenever."

"Make sure you don't get hit by a car!" said Blossom as the door closed. "I heard that they go really fast!"

The remaining two students looked at the door for a bit more, before looking at each other.

"Ya _heard_ dat cars were fast?" Raph asked her, raising his brow.

"I've never seen an _actual_ car before. I've never left the grounds and there isn't one here," she explained.

They were silent for a bit.

"Now what?" asked Raph. He hadn't thought it would be over so… quickly. It hadn't occurred to him that getting in would be so easy. He guessed he had thought that something would go wrong and the rest of the day would have been set up for him by a very angry Warumagi.

Blossom smiled at him, taking hold of his hands. "We have the whole evening to ourselves now, so… we could… you know… go have our dinner… and then relax in the library… and we could go to the dojo for a bit. Though I personally think we should go sit by the lake, before it gets too dark. The day's coming to a close so quickly!"

"We have longer than just a day, Blossom," Raph told her. "We'll have plenty of time to do all dat tomorrow."

She nodded, before catching sight of something and freezing.

There wasn't just one person standing in front of her… now there were two people.

_One of them was Warumagi, who was smiling cruelly at her._

_"Your time is almost up, Blossom."_

"Blossom?"

She blinked, the phantom Warumagi vanishing in a heartbeat. Raph gave her a gentle shake in an attempt to get a reaction out of her. She gazed at him, trembling slightly.

He stared at her, concerned. "What's the matter, Bloss? Ya just zoned out suddenly."

"I'm fine," she mumbled, averting her gaze. "I'm just tired… I thought I saw something." She paused, before saying, "Raph, do you know that I love you?"

Raph was touched and slightly embarrassed. "Aw shell, Bloss. We've only been goin' out for… what, a day? Ya don't think it's a bit early for dat?"

"I know how I feel, and I know that I love you with all my heart," she told him, a lump in her throat. "Do… do you love me?"

"'Course I do."

They leaned towards each other and bumped beaks. The two chuckled, before leaning in again and kissing. It was by far the longest they had ever had, and the giddy feeling that Raph felt made his problems melt away. It was like they had all taken a vacation; the only thing there was him and her. After a few minutes, they broke apart and smiled at each other.

"Let's go have dinner," she told him, moving away from him and heading towards the lunch hall. "I'm starving."

As they ran, she could hear a clock ticking with every step she took.


	19. Blossom

**Where have all the reviewers gone? I only have one now (who is awesome). ;P Aw well.  


* * *

**I open my door slowly and look both ways. It's silent and there's no movement whatsoever, seeing as it's late at night and everyone's in their room. Well, nearly everyone. I'm obviously not.

I should be in bed, fast asleep, but I can't settle down and rest. I had been sleeping earlier, but I had the dream with the sand timer again. I woke up all sweaty and hot, and I really needed the toilet. I tried to go back to sleep but I was too uncomfortable. I had decided to go to the toilet, hoping that a walk in the cold school and an empty bladder would help me go back to sleep. The lady's room is quite close to my bedroom and I don't think the Lord will be angry if I leave my room for a bit.

I creep down the corridor, flinching at every apparent creak of a door and every strangely shaped shadow. I think I hear some footsteps and quicken my pace, looking over my shoulder repeatedly at nothing before rounding the corner. I breathe loudly, hearing the thumping sound get louder. I look down and see my chest rising and falling rapidly. Then I realize that it wasn't footsteps I was hearing but my heart beating. I stand still, thinking of happy things. I think of the times when Raph and I are together, and I relax as I remember the wonderful emotion I feel when we kiss. A lot calmer, I start walking again.

The rest of the journey is in silence and I reach the girl's toilets in a matter of minutes. The lights are off and I want to turn them on, but I can't see where the switch is so I have to make do in the darkness. I'm done in about fifteen seconds and flush. It makes a loud whooshing sound, and I worry that it'll wake everyone up. However, by the time it is gurgling gently, the room is as deserted as before. I shake my head as I wash my hands. I'm sure it's not that loud during the day.

I leave, gently closing the door behind me. Now comes the simple task of getting back to my room and falling asleep. It should be easier now.

I tiptoe a few feet before hearing something move behind me. I continue walking, but then I hear the sound again. I gulp, turning my head and seeing something dark move swiftly across the corridor. I turn around completely, my mouth dry. I wait to see if it comes back. It doesn't. I slowly face forward again and shuffle along.

_Stamp… stamp… stamp…_

'It's your imagination, Blossom,' I reassure myself. It's just your heart thumping again. Think of happy things, and it will go away.

_Stamp… stamp… stamp…_

I close my eyes and try to blot out my surroundings. I'm dancing… I'm dancing… I'm dancing and Raph is watching me, spellbound.

_Herph… Herph… Herph…_

I open my eyes. It's breathing. I'm not imagining things. I look over my shoulder and spin around on the spot, so I'm facing whatever it is. I don't know why I'm scared. It's probably one of the other students.

Only…

It's not.

The only source of light is a window and it does a poor job of lighting the thing up, but it's good enough for me to be able to see it. The thing is large, way more than seven feet tall, with dirty grey fur all over its body. Its eyes are small slits, but from what I can see they're yellow. It is only about two metres away from me, and it is sniffing the air like crazy. It lowers its head and glares at me. I stay where I'm standing, not wanting to provoke it. If I run, it might attack me.

It approaches me slowly as if it thinks I might suddenly attack it. It stops when it's close enough for me to smell its hot breath. I barely let myself breathe because I'm too terrified.

I tell myself I have to move. I can't keep standing there. He... She… It… Whatever it is might attack me at any moment. I'm the perfect victim, standing still in the middle of the corridor, not making any attempt to get away. I shudder.

'Run. Go on, run.'

I jerk my body and begin running off. It stays where it is for a moment, recovering from the shock of me suddenly running, before going after me. It is very fast and it's only a matter of seconds before it catches up with me. I turn my head wildly, searching frantically for a way to escape it. I see a small corridor and run into it. The creature runs past it and has to reverse. This gives me a few extra seconds.

I reach the end and there is a door. Normally I would be able to tell where it leads to, but right now I can't think straight. The door doesn't open and I slam my fists onto it. I can't scream because my throat seems to have blocked up. I rest my head on the door, praying for it to magically unlock.

Miraculously, the door opens. I can't hear the creature anymore, but I still run in like it is right behind me. I'm in a new corridor now. There is another door at the end that lets me in straight away.

I fall into a bright room. My face is on the ground, so I can't see, but I hear the door close behind me. Slowly, relieved, I lift my head. I can't hear the creature.

So I must be safe.

I make eye contact with the Lord.

Ah.

Maybe not then.

I scramble to my feet and bow in front of him. I can't see his face now but a moment ago he didn't look very pleased. I blush, keeping my head down. "I'm so sorry! I… I…"

I straighten my back and look up, at a loss for words. He raises his left eyebrow, waiting for an answer. The clock on his wall ticks gently.

_Tick, tock, tick, tock..._

I cough, scuffing my left foot against the ground. Then, I build up enough courage to tell him what happened. "Sir, there was this… this creature. It chased me." I point to the door. "Did you see it?"

He nods slowly. "Indeed I did."

I stare at him with wide eyes before remembering my manners. "Um… Thank you for rescuing me." My desperation to find out what just happened makes me impatient, so I say, "What was that? Why was it here?"

He exhales deeply before looking at me. "We have a lot to talk about. Please take a seat."

I spot a comfy looking chair and sit down on it. He sits behind his desk, looking very severe. Normally I would feel very intimidated but I still remember what I found out about him: how he didn't let Raph have those letters from his family. This makes me angry at him and feel less frightened.

He leans forward and studies me, a pensive expression on his face. It's like he's wondering what he should tell me. I try and work out what's so difficult about doing that. I mean, he either does know or doesn't know how that creature got into the school. He's taking way too long to answer a simple enough question.

After a while he ducks his head slightly, though he keeps his eyes on me. "First things first. I'll answer your questions if you answer a few of mine. You have made good friends with Raphael, haven't you?"

I nod. "I guess so."

"How good friends are you two?"

"Very good friends."

"You like him a lot, don't you?"

I nod again, not seeing what he's getting at.

The Lord laughs coldly. I laugh under my breath, feeling uneasy. For some reason, I think that if I laugh then I'll see what's so funny.

I don't.

He stops and glares at me. "Very good friends indeed. I'm a little confused about how good friends you both are. I feel… like you have stepped over that line and become something more than just..." He spat the next bit. "Good _friends._"

I blush, beginning to see what he's getting at. I am willing to admit we more than just like each other, but there's something about the way the Lord is staring at me that makes me hold back this piece of information. "Oh, not at all. We're just… very good friends."

"I didn't know very good friends kiss each other and hold hands. So tell me, how good friends are you with him?"

I blink. He couldn't know about me and Raph kissing… could he? He hadn't been near us for ages… unless Katrina had told him about the time near the lake? But hadn't she been unconscious? Why would she tell the Lord? And why does he want to know this? It has nothing to do with what we are talking about. What if he spied on us? It's a creepy thought and I push it out of my mind.

I remain silent, biting my tongue.

"You're my brightest student, Blossom. You should know the answer."

I do, I do, I do. I just don't want to tell him. I try to weasel out of answering him. "I'm not, sir. If I was, I would have graduated by now."

He wiggles in his seat with a stern expression on his face, but I swear I can see some sadness in his eyes. "You are, Blossom. You're so very, very intelligent. It breaks my heart knowing I am about to see you go to waste."

"Sorry?" I reply, confused. What did he mean by 'go to waste'? I'm not going anywhere… unless… "Am I graduating, sir?"

"Something like that," he murmurs. He gives me a strange look that makes me want to hide under the desk. "You and Raph have been sharing a lot of secrets recently, particularly ones about me."

I give him the blankest expression I can manage. "Secrets? About you?"

"Oh please. Don't take me for an idiot," he growls. "I'm referring to Katrina hiding Raphael's letters. Does that ring any bells?"

Katrina had to have told him all this. I hadn't told him, and Raph would never tell him. I feel betrayed, but I know I could never feel as let down as Raph. I clench my fists and stare at the Lord furiously. "Yes it does. How could you do such a thing? He trusted her and you betrayed him."

He ignores me but I persist.

"How could you do that?"

He glares at me. I think he won't answer but he does. "I have my reasons. I… am searching for someone. I am sure he will try and come here in a matter of time... to make sure Raphael is okay. Then, I'll have him right where I want him."

I remember what I heard from Raph and murmur, "Raph was right… How could you want to do such a thing?"

"You don't understand. I have to capture him. I need to get revenge."

"Revenge on who?"

He ignores me and begins to pace. I watch him guardedly, raising my arms into a cross shape in front of my chest.

"They will regret turning me out… rejecting me… isolating me… It's their fault… They made this happen…" He punches the palm of his hand, rage exploding out of his eyes. "They ruined everything. They… I… My darling… You… I must... get… Leonardo… Then I can create… my revenge… a new life for us…"

He stops, looking like he has just said too much. He turns to me, a pained expression on his face.

"I'm so sorry. I wanted you to stay here for longer, but you've simply gone too far. Melissa doesn't want to see you with Raphael. It angers her. Anyway, you know too much. I can't let you go away with this knowledge in your head."

I don't say anything, my mind running at high speed. Who is Melissa? Why would she not want Raph and I to be together? Why does her opinion matter? I stare at him, but I don't think he is paying me any more attention. It's like he's gone into his own little world.

"You know far too many things for your own good. I can't risk having you know about things I must keep secret. But don't worry… I'm on the verge of finding an antidote. Soon all of my problems will be fixed."

What things do I know? The creature? The letters? The Lord's plan? This antidote I know nothing about? I don't know what he thinks I know, but I do know I'm scared.

I get to my feet.

He sees.

He smirks.

"Where do you think you're going?"

I stand dumbly, unable to come up with an answer. I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't know what I can do.

"We can do this the easy way, or we can do it the hard way," he says, walking towards me. He tries to grab me, but I dodge out of the way. I run towards the door of his office and open it. The creature doesn't appear to be there so I run out. I don't think the Lord's chasing after me, but I hear him yell, "You can run, but you can't hide."

I go through the corridor and another door. I look both ways before choosing to go left. I have to find Raph and tell him what is happening. He would believe me. He would be able to make sense of this. He would be able to protect me. Though deep down, I have the feeling that my time has come. This is what last night's dream meant.

It was telling me I would die tonight.

I sniff sadly but keep running. Maybe Raph can't help me this time. I think this but still want to see him. I want to tell him how much I care about him, and how I will always remember him.

I hear a snarling sound and turn my head. The creature from before is approaching me. I move away from it, walking backwards. I see the Lord walk out of the corridor and step behind the creature. It don't acknowledge his presence. My eyes dart between the two of them as I try to make sense of the situation. He catches my eye and smiles, walking to the creature's side and stroking it.

My blood runs cold.

They're friends.

The Lord points and the creature jumps at me. I manage to roll out of the way and get to my feet.

I run for my life. I can hear the creature chasing me. I allow myself to look over my shoulder for a brief moment to see the Lord returning to his office. I gasp and pick up my pace.

I stagger forward and lose my balance. I feel myself make impact with the ground. The creature takes advantage of this and jumps on top of me.

I scream, kicking its chest furiously. I don't seem to be making any effect on it. Frantically, I slide against the ground and slip out from beneath it. I sprint for all I'm worth with the creature following me from behind.

I enter a new corridor. There are a few doors in it but I go for the one at the end. There's a piece of paper on it. I don't have the time to read it now, so I rip the note off and go inside. I can hear the creature sniffing around the outside of the door, but after a while it stops. I don't know if it's because it's gone or if it's waiting for me to come out, but I'm not prepared to check any time soon. I find a light switch and flick it so I can see where I am.

The wallpaper must have been coloured at some point, but now it is white. I can feel the dust cling to my feet as I cross the room, looking around. There's a plain looking double bed in the corner and I notice a pair of slippers next to it, which is weird because I don't think this is anybody's room. I think about picking them up so I can examine them closely, but I remember the piece of paper I have in my hands. I glance down at it.

'Keep closed or face expulsion'.

I drop it in horror. I've just broken an important rule. Then I remember I have just about been expelled anyway. It's not like breaking another rule would make a difference. But still… I don't like the feeling. I stare at my hands for a moment before looking at the door.

I can't leave. Suppose the creature's still there? What is more important: breaking a silly rule or getting eaten?

I come to a decision. I'll stay here for a bit and then go straight to Raph's room. I sit on the edge of the bed. It groans under my weight. It's very stiff and hard, so I stand up and pick up one of the pillows. There's a piece of paper under it. I know it's rude to look through other people's things, but I'm curious.

I hold it in both of my hands and read it slowly. As I read on, my hands begin to tremble and vomit builds up in the back of my mouth. I swallow, slowly lifting my gaze.

I can't believe it.

I reread it, hoping I had read it incorrectly. I close my eyes and feel tears leak out of them.

It has to be a joke.

_Tick, tock, tick, tock…_

I hear a banging on the door, which is followed by a scraping sound. The creature knows I'm in here. My mouth goes dry, and I don't know what to do. I stuff the piece of paper back under the pillow and look around desperately.

I try to find a weapon to protect myself with. I attempt to open the drawer of a nearby vanity, but it's locked. I move away from it and search under the bed for a weapon. Unfortunately, all I discover is a box of makeup.

My body shakes as I realize there is no way I can fight it off. It wouldn't just drop dead if I put lipstick on it.

_Tick, tock, tick, tock…_

I go to the closet and open it. Loud piano music wafts out of it, each delicate note sending a shiver up my spine. There are dozens of clothes in it and when I take hold of one, I recognize it instantly. I recognize the music filling the room. I recognize the room, even though I don't remember coming in here previously. Though of course I must have been in here...

_Tick, tock, tick, tock…_

After all...

_Tick, tock, tick, tock…_

I am-

I hear the door rip off its hinges...

I don't turn…

I can't…

Then…

**Ring ring ring ring!**

Blossom's scream ran through the building.


	20. Hello Blossom

**Thankees for the reviews everyone. :3

* * *

**Raphael had the feeling that today was going to be special.

He didn't really know why, but something told him that this day would be one he would never forget.

He hummed, even though he usually hated the sound, as he put on his ninja gear, strapping his pads onto his elbows and knees. He tied his mask around his eyes and walked out of his room. The air was still and silent, so he guessed it was early in the morning. Usually, he would know what the time was because of the alarm clock in his room, but Blossom hadn't replaced it that night.

He went to a nearby window and saw that the sun hadn't travelled very far, but he knew that the weather would be fine. The lack of clouds told him this.

He walked into the lunch hall. A solitary figure sat at one of the tables, who he quickly recognized as Foxglove. Remembering yesterday, he went to sit next to her, forgetting to retrieve some food in his hurry. She heard him approaching and turned around. He hadn't seen her the previous evening and was eager to find out what had happened.

"Why hello," Foxglove said, smirking. "Where's Blossomkins?"

He shrugged his shoulders. As much as the 'Blossomkins' remark irritated him, he had to try to stay on her good side. "In bed, I think. Anyway, ya have ta tell me how it went."

"Shouldn't we wait for Blossom? She'll want to know 'how it went'."

"I can tell her later. I wanna know now," He grabbed hold of her shoulders and shook her roughly. "Don't play games wit' me. I'm not in the mood. What was it like? Has it been taken over by the Foot? Or aliens? Did ya see any of my brothers? Did ya find the store okay?"

She wrenched her shoulders away from him, leaving a large space between her and Raph. "Let me breathe! Geez, you don't need to freak out. Hm… It was pretty good, no, no, no and yeah."

"What about April?"

"It's nearly July."

Raph groaned. "No, I meant the red-headed woman dat owns the store I told ya to go to. Did ya see her?"

"Oh… Oh. The person I was meant to run away from on sight?"

"Yeah."

"Ah."

Raph felt his stomach drop and his rage build up. "Ya talked to her, didn't ya?"

"… Maybe."

"Foxglove..." he growled.

She sighed angrily. "Don't get so worked up. It wasn't my fault. She locked the stupid store so I couldn't get in. I began picking it open and then _she _came along and started asking me what I was doing. I told her I needed to give this to April and she was all, 'You're looking at her.' I gave her the letter and _then _I ran away from her. She began chasing after me but I teleported back to the school before she got me."

"She has a mailbox on the door to the store."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Amazin', isn't it?"

Foxglove rolled her eyes. "Sore-ree. It was dark. I won't bother going next time, seeing as I'm so useless."

"I never said you were... I take it the Lord didn't see ya," he commented, changing the subject quickly. "What time did ya get back at?"

"Ooh… a bit before seven. I put the teleporter back in his office and went to my room. I was going to find you yesterday, but I thought a more _quiet _time would be better. Anyway, I was tired."

Raph exhaled in relief, glad that not only had the letter been delivered successfully, but also Foxglove was all right. He realized that he had forgotten to get any food and went to the serving hatch.

The lunch hall began filling up, but Blossom didn't arrive. Raph didn't touch his breakfast, staring fixedly at the door. Blossom was usually one of the first to come here, yet there was still no sign of her. He didn't notice Laurence sit down with them, and he took no notice of the small conversation going on around him until he felt Foxglove poke his arm.

"Raph," she said crossly. "Wake up. Laurence wants to know where Blossom is. Apparently, talking to me isn't interesting enough for him."

"I never said you weren't interesting!" exclaimed Laurence, reddening. "I… I'm just curious, that's all. It's not like her to go off alone without saying anything... to you."

"I don't know where she is," Raph replied, gritting his teeth.

"But… you're her boyfriend," said Laurence. "Surely you know?"

"I ain't her keeper."

"Did you have a fight?" he asked, the concern on his face going unnoticed by the mutant turtle. "I mean, you both get on so-"

"I said I don't know where she is!" Raph snarled, causing Laurence to recoil.

He was beginning to get worried. She should have been there by now. He was tempted to go find her, but he was positive that she would be there at any moment.

The lunch hall began to empty, though Raph didn't pay any attention to this. He continued watching the door, clenching his fists. Laurence stayed at the table with him loyally, despite having finished his breakfast a while ago. Foxglove stayed as well, putting her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her hands. They enviously watching the other students get up and leave, laughing on their way out.

Foxglove didn't know what was stopping her from leaving. She had legs. She knew where the exit was. All she had to do was put the two together and leave… So why didn't she? The only people she had ever willingly stuck herself with were Fang and Silver, but they weren't there. She didn't know where they were. She guessed… that Raph, Blossom and Laurence were her new friends, and friends didn't desert friends.

She smirked. She had never really had proper friends before.

Foxglove waited until the lunch hall was nearly empty before getting up and resting a hand on Raph's shoulder. "Come on, Raphael. She isn't coming."

He glared at her, raising his brow and mentally daring her to provoke him. "What are ya sayin'?"

"Nothing," she assured him, feeling tired. "Just that she's probably skipping breakfast."

"Maybe…" Raph considered it. It wasn't unheard of her. He had often seen her leave all of a meal.

"Yeah," agreed Laurence. "She's probably in the library… or the dojo. How about we go find her now?"

"She would come here," Raph muttered stubbornly, "even if it was to just sit with us."

Nevertheless, he tagged along when the other two left the lunch hall. The first place they decided to go to was the library. They were about to go in when they saw a notice on the door, saying that the library as closed for the day.

"Okay…" Foxglove shrugged her shoulders. "How about the dojo? She might be practicing that silly dance of hers."

However, it turned out that the only people in the dojo was a couple of Human Hybrids sparring with each other.

Laurence and Foxglove exchanged worried expressions behind Raph's back.

"She might have overslept," Foxglove piped up. "Let's check her room."

They sprinted down the corridor and entered one that contained some of the students' rooms, including Blossom's. With Raph at the front, they approached her room. The door was firmly shut and showed no signs of being opened recently. Raph clasped the door handle firmly before slowly opening the door, inch by inch. When it was wide enough for him to get through, he slipped inside.

The lights were off, which meant that she was either not there or she was still asleep. Raph crept across the carpet, studying the room as he steadily made his way across it. It was very tidy and everything was put away, even though there wasn't much space to put things away in. Very quickly, he reached her bed…

And found it empty.

He stayed where he was, surveying the room in case she was hiding. He had hoped that she was in her room. He couldn't think of anywhere else she could be.

"Is she in there or not?" asked Foxglove impatiently, poking her head in. "If the Lord comes by and sees us sneaking around another student's room, he'll go crazy."

The Lord… that gave Raph an idea.

"Maybe he knows where she is," said Raph, leaving the room hurriedly and grabbing hold of Foxglove's wrist. "Come on, he's probably in his office. Let's go find him."

Raph didn't particularly want to pay him a visit, but if anyone knew where she was, it was him. They made their way to his office, the fear slowly building up inside of them making them move quicker. As soon as they were in front of the locked door leading to it, Raph banged his fist against it.

"He might not hear you," commented Laurence, tapping the door with his knuckles three times. "I mean, there's a corridor between this door and the door to his office."

"Really, what kind of headmaster has an entire corridor blocking his office and the door that you need to knock in order to get in?" asked Foxglove, throwing her arms outwards in frustration. "There's no way he'll hear us from here. God, we'll be here all day."

"You could pick it like ya did before," suggested Raph, shaking the door handle violently.

"He'll be so happy, won't he?" she said coldly. "Being there and seeing us break in. Hey, maybe then he'll boost security on it or something, so we can never get in again. What a fantastic idea!"

"He deserves it," snarled Raph, putting one of his feet on the door. "Mikey could design a better buildin' than this."

The door opened. Raph stumbled backwards and landed on Laurence. Foxglove smiled at them before frowning at Warumagi, who was standing in the doorway. The headmaster looked down at them, a bemused expression on his face.

"Yes? What is it that you want to know?" he asked.

Raph and Laurence got to their feet, brushing their legs. Raph looked at Warumagi suspiciously. "We were wonderin'… do ya know where Blossom is? We can't find her anywhere, and we were thinkin' you might be able to tell us where she is."

Warumagi scratched his chin. "Blossom, you say? Hm… I shouldn't think she is anywhere specific. She hasn't gotten detention, and she isn't with me…" He narrowed his eyes. "Have you checked all the places she usually goes to?"

"Yeah." Laurence nodded, counting on his fingers as he said the next bit. "The library… the dojo… her room…"

Raph and Foxglove rolled their eyes.

"… Everywhere! We haven't seen her anywhere, and it's not like her to avoid us," he finished, biting his lip. "We think there's something wrong."

Warumagi turned away from them. "Maybe she went for a walk? It is quite a nice day outside."

"She might be by the lake!" exclaimed Raph, ashamed he hadn't thought of going there before. "She likes goin' there."

Warumagi smiled, listening to their retreating footsteps as they faded away. He re-entered the corridor, locking the door behind him, before going into his office. He reached into his cloak's pocket and pulled out the teleporter.

He chuckled. "I've been waiting for a moment like this. Now that I know where a close friend of the turtles lives… one that doesn't risk revealing any of my plans… I don't need Raphael anymore. I don't need any of them anymore. I can just kidnap this 'April' woman. Besides, my army is big enough."

He put the teleporter on his desk and entered his basement. He smiled, walking over to a large pod. Within it, a murky figure scratched the glass surrounding it. Warumagi watched, his lips forming a sad smile.

"My goal is so close," he whispered, placing his hand on the creature's. The glass exterior was the only thing stopping them from touching. "I can almost taste it. Soon, you will be fixed… and so will Melissa… we'll be a happy family again. But first…" He went to the keypad that was next to the pod. "I need to dispose of _them. __They_ don't want us to be happy again."

He pressed a series of numbers. There was a loud hiss, and the glass pod opened. The creature contained inside of it got out slowly, gazing around suspiciously.

"It's time to test you out." He walked to the other side of the room, stopping in front of a pool of water. The creature approached it, lowering its head and staring at its reflection. "Your dinner is on the other side. Go feast."

The creature dived into the water, and the last sound it heard was Warumagi's deranged laughter.

TMNTNMT

"She isn't here," panted Laurence, looking around. "And… and why did we have to… run all the way here?"

The breeze tickled their sweating faces, but it failed in its attempt to make them feel refreshed. Raph shivered, looking at the otherwise deserted lakeside. He felt cold, even though he was standing in the afternoon sunshine.

Foxglove fell to her knees and sat in front of the large tree. "I don't know. I was just keeping up with Raphael. She isn't here… and we'll have to walk all the way back." She groaned, bowing her head. "Wake me up in ten years."

"Did anyone else find it weird when Warumagi said 'What do you wanna know?'" Raph asked, furrowing his brow.

Foxglove gazed at him, shielding her eyes from the Sun with her hand. She frowned. "What's so weird about that?"

"He didn't ask what we wanted with him, but what we wanted to know," Raph elaborated, watching a group of students play football in the distance. "It was like he knew dat we-"

He was interrupted by a series of bubbles that were forming and popping at the surface of the lake. Raph reached for his sai, only to remember he had left them in his room. He cursed loudly as a big, dark shadow crept upwards.

The shadow suddenly disappeared. They stared at where it had just been. After a stunned silence, Laurence said feebly, "I think it's gone."

A huge creature suddenly shattered the lake's surface, spraying droplets of water everywhere as it leaped upwards. Raph and Laurence jumped backwards, barely avoiding being crushed by it. Foxglove staggered to her feet and stared at the creature with a circular mouth, her eyes nearly as wide. The other two non-humans backed away so they were either side of her. In the distance, they could hear the football playing students begin to scream and run towards the school.

The creature inhaled noisily, facing the three of them. Its skin was dark and uneven, the many lumps on its surface preventing it from being soft and smooth. It pointed its long snout down at them, staring at the students with beady, yellow eyes. It opened its mouth slightly, revealing hints of what they suspected were big, pointy teeth. Its faded yellow chest contrasted with its mucky green skin and was a similar colour to its clawed hands and feet.

"Shell…" Raph croaked. He really wished he had his sai. "Another one?"

"Another one?" repeated Charles, his voice incredibly high. "You're saying there are lots of these monsters?"

"We met some before." Raph shrugged, acting like he did so on a daily basis. "All right… don't move and don't scream. That just makes it mad."

"RUN!" bellowed Laurence, sprinting towards the school. Foxglove, seeing that the creature was preparing itself for an attack, spun on her heel and moved as fast away from it as she could.

Raph exhaled heavily. "Does _no one _listen to anythin' I say?"

The creature tried to slash his face, but he managed to dodge out of the way. Raph rolled sideways as it turned around and swung its rather large tail at him. Raph glared at it before realizing something.

The creature had a shell.

It landed a hit on his chin, knocking him back. Then, it stood over him, growling furiously. Raph groaned, looking up at the creature.

Foxglove paused, looking back. She sighed. "I've been hanging out with Blossom too much."

Laurence saw her running back to the creature and yelled, "Hello? Foxglove? You're going towards the monster!"

"No duh!" she replied, her heart pounding in her ears.

Raph raised his arms to block the creature's attack. It bared its teeth, raising one of its bulky arms. Raph glared at it, determined to keep his eyes on it.

Just before it could lower its arm and strike, Foxglove jumped onto the creature from behind. The creature howled, shaking its body violently. Raph got to his feet, watching the scene in front of him in awe. It threw Foxglove off its back in a matter of seconds, but it gave Raph enough time to ready an attack.

He leaped forward and kicked it in the face before it could harm Foxglove. She swiftly moved around it, so she was standing next to Raph. The creature stumbled away from them and fell into the lake.

"Dat's weird," said Raph. "It seems a lot weaker den the one we saw before."

The creature re-emerged, grizzling loudly. It seemed weaker... but that didn't mean it was actually weak.

"Run?" said Foxglove, widening her eyes.

"Run," agreed Raph.

They ran towards the school, stopping briefly when they caught up with Laurence, who hadn't moved since Foxglove had gone to save Raph.

"Why are you still here?" she asked him crossly, pulling him with her as they resumed running. "You should be in the school."

"I… I wanted to make sure you were okay…" mumbled Laurence, averting his gaze.

"Thanks," said Raph, though he didn't see how watching them had helped in any way. "All we have ta do is get into the school. We can close the door behind us and earn ourselves a few seconds. Dat should be enough time ta lose it."

"Attention students," Warumagi's voice boomed. "The school is being attacked by dangerous creatures of an unknown species. Report to my office and prepare to be evacuated. Lockdown has been initiated."

"Lockdown?" repeated Raph. That sounded bad.

"All windows and doors leading in and out of the school will be automatically locked… in ten seconds."

"Now _that's _bad," declared Raph.

They sped up, ignoring whatever fatigue their bodies were experiencing. The door was so close… They were nearly there…

Raph got into the building first, and he heard Foxglove jump in shortly afterwards. He held the door open for Laurence.

Laurence widened his eyes, speeding up. The creature was heading towards him at roughly the same speed he was running at, but it would catch up with him if he had nowhere to run to.

"Hurry up!" screamed Foxglove, causing Raph to cover his ears.

Laurence was near the door when he suddenly tripped over and fell forward.

Raph felt the door rip out of his hands and slam shut. As soon as he could no longer feel it, he closed his eyes and scrunched up his face. Foxglove also closed her eyes, raising her hands slowly to her cheeks.

After a moment, she whispered, "It… got him. Oh man… I regret being so mean to him… I should have been nicer to him… I should have told him that he was a good friend… I… I…"

"Really?" a voice from below said.

They opened their eyes and looked down. Laurence gazed up at them, grazed but otherwise unmarked.

Foxglove paused- before kicking him in the face, irritated. "I never said any of that."

He stared up at the ceiling, smiling. "No concussion could ever get rid of that…"

She groaned, wiping the sweat off her face. She looked around. The building was eerily still and dark, so she could only just see. "Hey, why are all the lights off?"

She turned to Raph. The creature was hitting the door loudly, but some metal bars had come out of the ground, strengthening it. Still… she didn't think that the bars would keep the creature out forever. She nudged him. "Now what? Should we evacuate?"

Raph didn't reply, his eyes back on the door.

"Raph?" she said, tapping him on the shoulder. "What do we do now?"

Laurence waved his hand in front of Raph's face. Raph blinked, but instead of looking at him, he looked at Foxglove. "When I first joined, do ya remember the first Human Hybrid that graduated?"

"I'm thinking this is a rhetorical question," she remarked.

"It was King…" Raph began to pace, his face pale. "An' he was a lion hybrid thin', right?"

She nodded slowly, unsure what he was trying to get at. "Yeah. So?"

"The monster we met the night we were put in isolation… What did it look like?"

"You _both_ met one?" exclaimed Laurence. "You mean... when you were punished... you saw a monster like that one? And you didn't tell me?"

He was ignored.

"I don't know," she said, before picturing it in her mind. The dark fur… The claws… The mane… She gulped before whispering, "A lion."

Raph nodded. "An' what is Blossom?"

"A… a turtle hybrid." Foxglove trembled, catching on.

"We haven't seen her all day… and what does that creature remind you of?"

The green skin… The yellow plastron… The shell…

"Oh God," she murmured.

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN...**


	21. Goodbye Foxglove

"Wait…" said Laurence slowly. "You're saying King and Blossom are… monsters?"

"And who's to say it ends there?" asked Foxglove, pacing. "Suppose every graduation… every expulsion are just excuses to… to… dispose students? Everyone we used to know could be like… like them!"

"How do we know it's the Lord doing it to them?" he piped up, his face slightly creased. "Suppose it's someone else. I mean… The Lord wouldn't do that… would he? That's…. that's just wrong."

"Oh sure, the Lord isn't doing it. It's someone else that's keeping them at the school and mutating them. Get real." She turned to Raphael. "We need to do something! Anything! We need a plan."

Raph didn't say anything. He was rarely the one who came up with plans. Usually, back in New York, the plan making was left to Leonardo. _He_ always had some sort of plan up his metaphorical sleeve. He never panicked. He could be tied to a raging moose that was heading towards the edge of a cliff, and he could think of a way out of the predicament before he hurdled to an untimely death. He had the ability to assess the situation and choose the right course of action.

Raph, however, did not. He often did whatever his head told him to do without considering other options. Sometimes this was a good thing, because it made him react quickly. On the other hand, it meant that sometimes he didn't do the best course of action.

He groaned, looking around desperately. There had to be something they could do. Anything would be better than just standing there.

"Well, well; it seems you managed to avoid what I had planned for you," a voice suddenly said over the speakers, chuckling.

"Warumagi…" Raph raised his fist, his face hot. "I have a bone ta pick wit' ya. What the shell do ya think yer doin'? Are ya some kinda lunatic?"

"I don't think he can hear you," Laurence told him. "He's talking to us through the speakers."

Warumagi's voice laughed. "I can hear you very clearly, thank you. And no, I am not a 'lunatic'."

"You didn't do that lockdown to keep those creatures out," Foxglove shouted. "You did it to keep us out. You tried to kill us! You _are _a lunatic! You're a delirious, raving, psychopathic lunatic!"

"Such big words from such a small, insignificant thing," his voice remarked. "How sad. How very sad. Well, I congratulate you on escaping your fate. But now, alas, you have about… ooh… fifty of those creatures to escape from? And when the other students have 'evacuated', you'll have about one hundred to hide from. Don't worry; they like food that puts up a struggle. I will have the pleasure of watching you become lunch, thanks to the chips in all my students' brains. They let me see what they see on a lovely little screen. Goodbye. I hope you have a nice afterlife."

Apart from the scratching sound originating from the door near them, the corridor was silent. Very slowly, they dared look at each other and saw mirrored expressions of terror.

"They're… going to eat us?" squeaked Laurence, his body shaking uncontrollably. "W-We're going to die?"

"Looks like it," said Foxglove, crossing her arms. "Who would have thought it? I'm going to die as an appetizer."

"No one's gonna die," Raph snapped. He might not have had a plan, but they were looking at him for one and he wasn't going to let them down. "As long as ya do as I say, none of ya are gonna die. There's no way I'm lettin' anyone else get hurt. Ya have ta trust me."

"I trust you," replied Foxglove automatically. Raph raised his brow, so she elaborated, "I haven't died yet, and I don't see what I've got to lose."

"Yeah… me too," agreed Laurence, though he didn't sound too sure.

"Okay." Raph began jogging away from them. They followed him, wondering where he was going. He couldn't think of a way to stop Warumagi, but he had an idea as to how he could keep his promise. He continued, "I got an idea dat might help us stay alive. Okay, ya know he said dat all the students have chip things dat tell him where ya all are and what yer doin'?"

"Yeah, it explains how he caught me and Charles out on all of our pranks," commented Laurence. "So?"

"I don't have one of those in me. Now, the Lord's probably listenin' to this conversation, and I can't risk bein' caught. What I need yer to do," said Raph, "is close yer eyes when I tell ya to. No matter what ya do, don't open them."

"What?" Laurence gasped. "But suppose… suppose a monster comes and finds us? We can't defend ourselves if we can't see."

"If he doesn't know where ya are, he can't find ya… easily," explained Raph, grabbing both of their wrists tightly. "Now close yer eyes and don't open them no matter what."

"But we can hardly see as it is!" piped up Laurence. "Surely it wouldn't make much of a difference?"

"Ya can still see though. It ain't _completely _dark. Besides, suppose we go somewhere light? Close them. Now."

They reluctantly closed their eyes.

Seeing they were firmly shut, Raph led them down the corridor, his heart thumping. He studied each door and corridor they passed, trying to find the one he wanted. It was harder to recognize where he was without a nearby light source, but he was just able to not get lost and go in the right direction.

He stopped when he came to the one that he thought was the right one… only it didn't have the notice it usually had on the door. He didn't think about that as he opened the door and swung his arms forward, causing the two Human Hybrids to stumble into the room.

"Okay, both of ya have ta stay here 'til I return. I'll be back soon, all right? Just… just keep yer eyes closed."

"Where are we?" Laurence asked, his hands covering his face.

"I can't tell ya dat. Just… just wait for me to come back," Raph told him. He had started to close the door when Foxglove grabbed hold of his arm.

"No," she said. "You're not going anywhere without me."

Raph stared at her angrily, moving his arm out of her grasp. "Ya can't come wit' me. It's too dangerous! There's every chance a monster will come and attack ya!"

"So? I trust you to keep me safe," retorted Foxglove, taking hold of him again. "You said you would and you will. I'm coming with you. The end."

Raph unwillingly gave up. He didn't have the time to argue with her. He walked out of the room with her. "Lezz go, then. Laurence, ya can stay. It'll be safer if we all don't go."

"You're leaving me all by myself?" asked Laurence. "With a group of monsters?"

"Do ya wanna come with us?"

"No! I'll stay. I mean, it's not like I would be able to help."

"Yer right. I'll be back; just stay there and don't open yer eyes," he told him, closing the door and running back down the corridor with Foxglove. He felt slightly bad for leaving Laurence like that, but he didn't really have much of a choice.

"Raph…" Foxglove started.

Raph shook his head before remembering she couldn't see him. "I don't think this is a good time to-"

"I need to tell you something."

He paused. "What?"

"Keep running. I'll tell you on the way."

He did so, his heart racing. For a terrifying moment, he thought she was going to confess an undying love for him.

She bowed her head slightly. "I'm saying this now, because I might not have the chance to later."

She lifted her head, her eyes still shut.

"…Thanks… for everything."

"Oh…" He grinned. "You too."

"No. There's more." She shifted her hand and gripped his tightly. "Ages ago, I told you I went to the toilet and overheard the Lord talking to the servant about your brother. I... didn't let on as much as I said. We're going to die soon, so I might as well tell you all of it."

Raph grunted.

"One of the students had dared me to go into the room we're not allowed to go into. It's... the Lord's wife's room. The student... Fang... dared me to, so a stupid part of me said yes. He told me if I did the dare, people would like me more. I snuck in and waited a bit before leaving. I didn't want to tell you in case you told the Lord and I got into massive trouble. Anyway, I... I heard the Lord talking to the servant and hid..."

"Is there a point to this story?"

He felt her whack the back of his head.

"Fine! I'll leave out the bit where he said... your brother's name."

"Ya knew who he wanted the whole time? Who is it?"

"Oh, _now_ you're interested. I didn't want to tell you in case you left... but he wants Leonardo."

Raph stopped running and stared at her. "You serious?"

"I'm positive. What, you think I'd lie at a time like this? He wants Leonardo. What for, I don't know. He has a blue mask like yours and-"

"I know what he looks like. I have lived with him all my life."

"Do you know why he wants him?"

"... No. Now let's get movin'."

They resumed their journey.

They came to a stop outside their destination- Warumagi's office. Raph put his hand around the door handle and pulled half-heartedly, not expecting it to open. He wished he had thought ahead and thought of a way to open it_ before _going there. However, to his surprise, it opened very easily. Or, as Raph thought to himself suspiciously, too easily.

Behind the door was a large, ferocious creature with brown fur and a pink tail. It growled, its whiskers trembling as it breathed loudly. Everything about it was dirty, from the tip of its large claws to the end of its snout.

Raph was reminded of a seemingly quiet, giggling mouse hybrid.

"I can hear something…" Foxglove said loudly. "Don't tell me that it's what I think it is."

"I won't then," Raph told her, really wishing he had his sai right now. He should have gotten them before coming here, but now wasn't the time to think about what he could have done. He backed away, taking a confused Foxglove with him. The creature stepped towards them, scrutinizing their movement.

He turned to Foxglove. "Ya know how ya said earlier dat ya trust me?"

"Yeah…"

"Ya gonna have ta trust me even more," he said. "Remember the obstacle courses we did in those physical lessons?"

"The ones you did oh so well on?" she remarked bitterly. "Yeah, why?"

He grabbed both of her hands and pulled her onto his back. "Hold on tight."

He bent his legs and jumped over the creature, heading towards Warumagi's office. It roared, spinning around and hitting its tail against the door frame. Raph reached the end and shut the door firmly behind him, prior to frantically searching the room with his eyes. The brightness of the room contrasted with the darkness outside, and it took a moment for his eyes to readjust. His eyes fell upon the Lord's desk, and he spotted what he was looking for.

He picked up the teleporter and stared at it. It resembled a silver pocket watch though instead of numbers on its face, it had a series of buttons and a small, rectangular screen near the top. He held it at an arm's length, trying to make out what the screen was. Near him, he could hear what used to be Squee… no, it _was_ still Squee… trying to open the door. He smiled, glad that she seemed to have difficulty opening them. However, it turned into a frown instantly when he looked back at the teleporter.

It was one of those times he wished that he was Donatello. It didn't take _him _long to figure out how to use a piece of technology. Don could find something at a junkyard and be able to work out what it used to be in seconds, before fixing it so he could use it. He was practically the internet in the shape of a humanoid. If it was him there, he would be able to function the teleporter in a matter of moments.

But it wasn't Don who was holding it; it was Raph.

He gazed at the unsuspecting Foxglove. She knew how to work the teleporter, but he didn't think that she would desert him. He doubted she would want to leave him in a school of ravenous monsters. Yet, he couldn't leave her by herself either. He looked back down at the teleporter.

"What are you doing?" asked Foxglove impatiently. "That... thing sounds like it's going to break in and kill us at any moment. And next time, give me a bit of a heads up before you take me for a ride. I nearly had a heart attack." She frowned heavily. "Where are we?"

He quickly examined the device. There were some co-ordinates on the small black screen. His eyes drifted down to the bottom of it, where there was a green button. He didn't know what they meant or what they did, but he was about to find out.

"Foxglove?" he said, holding onto it tightly.

"Yeah, what?"

"Ya know how I said I was gonna keep ya safe?"

"Yeah?"

He pressed the green button. In front of him, a strange doorway of colours appeared. He closed his eyes, throwing his arm forward as he did so. Foxglove let go of him and lurched into it. She shrieked in surprise before disappearing through the doorway. It melted away as soon as she was completely through it, meaning that Raph was alone.

For now.

He breathed deeply, staring at where his friend had been standing a second before. All he had to do was to go back to Laurence and get him out of the school. Then… then…

He didn't know what would happen after that, but he would figure out the rest of his plan later.

Squee managed to break down the door and came in, fuming. Behind him, he could hear the door on the other side of the room open. He turned his head and saw that more creatures were coming out. He growled, clenching his fists. Laurence could wait.

He was getting his sai first.

Raph leaped onto Squee's head and pushed off it, leaping out of the room. He ran down the corridor and closed the door behind him. His room was close by, thankfully. Not wanting to hang around, Raph tore down the corridor and rounded the corner. All was going well until he reached his room's corridor… and found two large creatures in it.

They turned to him as soon as he was in their line of sight. He stumbled forward a bit, before standing up straight and stopping in his tracks.

"Ooh… kay," he said, his eyes darting between them and his door. If he ran forward, they would attack him. He couldn't take down one large mutant monster, let alone two. This would take some thinking outside of the box.

If there ever was someone who thought outside of the box, it was Michelangelo. No one quite understood where he was coming from or his thought process, but sometimes this was a good thing. If his brothers couldn't figure out what he was doing then neither could his opponents. Granted, some of his ideas didn't work, but they always put a smile on their faces. A smile was all they needed to get that extra boost and hope needed to win. Also, he was great at avoiding fights. He knew exactly what ticked people off or distracted them, and could use this to his advantage.

Raph walked towards them, his hands behind his back. The creatures watched him guardedly, preparing themselves. He moved so he was standing in between them and grinned darkly. He curled his right hand into a fist and punched one of them in the face.

The creature snarled, lashing out at him. Raph dodged out of the way, watching the creature punch the other one by accident. It barked and jumped onto its comrade, clawing at its face. The two creatures started to have a mad fight on the ground, trying to rip each other's face off.

Raph slipped into his room and caught sight of his sai, which were sitting on his end table. He picked them up and attached the teleporter to his belt. Feeling a lot better prepared, he decided that it was time to get back to Laurence and teleport him home.

He left his room, the two creatures oblivious as they wrestled each other. Raph glanced at them, smiling, before heading to the room he had left Laurence in. He hoped he was all right. He hadn't been gone for very long, but there was still every chance a creature had slipped in and-

He shook his head. No. **No. **He had promised Laurence that he would make sure he wouldn't be harmed. He had promised him that he would be okay. Laurence had to be unharmed. He just had to be.

Raph rounded the corner and saw three 'students'. He quickly reversed before they could see him. They sniffed the air and left the corridor. When he was sure they were gone, he bolted down the corridor and looked around the corner. The creatures were still there, studying the area. Raph waited until they were facing away from him before going to one of the doors near him and opening it. Then, he shut it as loudly as he could.

The creatures jumped, turning around and running to the source of the noise. They began to beat the door with their fists, snarling viciously.

Raph, who was hiding around the corner, snuck past the distracted creatures and went down the rest of the corridor.

The next few ones were empty; however, the penultimate corridor that led to the room Laurence was in was occupying one of the creatures. Raph curled his mouth. It was standing right in front of the corridor that led to the one Raph needed to go through, like it knew he wanted to go there.

Raph narrowed his eyes and twirled his sai. It looked as though he was going to have to fight this one.

He ran forward. Now wasn't the time to be stealthy. Now was the time for a fast, surprise attack. He kicked the creature in the face, knocking its head against a wall. It howled, trying to grab him. Raph ducked, feeling it break the air above his head, and swung his leg at its chest.

The creature stumbled sideways, relocating its head so it was facing him. It tried to land a blow on Raph's face with its fist, but he caught its hand with his sai. Then, gritting his teeth, he used all his strength to twist the creature's arm. It looked upwards, screaming. Raph jumped back, waiting for it to try and attack him again.

The creature bounded towards him, bowing its head as it made to headbutt him. Raph turned around and sprinted towards the wall behind him. He ran up it before pushing off, zooming over the approaching creature's head. It crashed into the wall and got its head stuck.

Raph turned his sai around in his hands, so he was holding the blades. He went up behind the creature and slammed the handles into its back. It flailed wildly, failing to remove its trapped head. Panting heavily, Raph kicked its bottom, pushing it even deeper into the wall. The creature twitched, before jerking its head back and hitting the wall behind it. As soon as Raph saw the wall crumble and reveal its freed head, he kicked it with his foot and pushed it to the ground. The creature moaned before falling unconscious.

He watched it briefly before heading down the corridor towards Laurence. He reached it and walked into the room, putting his sai away and flicking the light switch. The room lit up.

"Laurence?" called Raph, his breathing slowly returning to normal. "Don't worry, I found a way ta get ya…"

The room was devoid of life.

"…Out."

He ran around the room, opening and closing things. Where had he gone? None of the creatures should have been able to find him. Warumagi shouldn't have been able to locate him. The only way Laurence could have been discovered was if he had opened his eyes, made lots of noise and attracted the creatures or… if he had left.

"Coward!" Raph shouted, punching the bed. The pillow flew into the air and landed on the ground, revealing a piece of paper that had been underneath it.

He picked it up and read it.


	22. Letter From Blossom

_Dear Mommy_

_Daddy says I'm not allowed to go in here, but I ignored him. I know you always told me to do as I'm told, but I had to put this letter somewhere. __I didn't know where to leave this because Heaven is too far away, so I left it under your pillow. I hope you can still read it._

_Why did you have to die, Mommy? I wasn't ready for you to go away. I never got to say goodbye or tell you how much I loved you. I really hope you know this now, because I don't think I said it enough times when you were here._

_We really need you. Daddy hasn't been himself. He spends all day in the basement, and he doesn't teach me anymore. You said I need a good education so I can get a job, but he doesn't seem to care. All I do now is go to the dancing hall and dance. As much as I enjoy it, it can never be as good as the time I spent with you._

_Sometimes, I wake up crying in the night. I start to go to your room, only to remember you're not there. I used to do that when I was little. You would tell me that it was all right and there weren't any monsters under my bed, and I would feel better. Now, though… There's no one to tell me there aren't any monsters._

_I don't like being with Daddy. He's always angry and snappy. I know he was angry and snappy a bit before you died, but he was never like that with me. He used to think the world of me... of us. He would paint pictures of us all the time, when we were younger. Remember?  
_

_I remember the times when you both used to argue with each other. I don't like remembering them. You both tried to do it when you thought I wasn't there, but I sometimes saw you two fight each other. I really hated it when you fought and I always wished you would stop and love each other again.  
_

_You were supposed to love each other, yet you did so much fighting with one another._

_Maybe that's why you died. Maybe you had a really big fight and that made you sick. I wish I had been there when you died, but I had been asleep in bed._

_Sometimes, I go to your room and open your closet. I love the piano music that comes out of it. It reminds me of the times we'd dance to it, twirling and jumping around. It's like you're here again._

_I remember you telling me something a few days before you died. '__Look where the piano plays and find your face. There, you'll find the secret of this place.' I never understood that. This place doesn't have any secrets... I wish you had been able to tell me what it means.  
_

_I make lots of wishes nowadays… like… I really wish that we could be together again as a family. When I die, I hope I get to be with you forever._

_Promise you will wait for me. Cross your heart and swear that you will wait for me to come up to Heaven and be with you._

_Love you with all my heart and more,_

_Blossom Warumagi_


	23. Katrina Returns

The piece of paper fell to the ground.

No…

It had to be a different Blossom. The one Raphael knew and the one who had been Warumagi's daughter… they couldn't be the same person. It didn't make sense. Human Hybrids started off as animals, not humans. Besides, Warumagi's daughter was dead. They simply couldn't be the same person.

Raphael clenched his fists, his hands yearning to wrap around something and hurt it. Warumagi couldn't have turned his own daughter into a Human Hybrid. The Lord wasn't exactly the sanest person, but he couldn't be that delusional… could he?

He hadn't noticed himself close his eyes and opened them. He didn't want to be in there anymore. He wanted to escape, only... he didn't know what lay outside for him. He didn't know what to do next. He felt pathetic; he was a sitting duck while Warumagi took his time doing whatever he wanted. Growling, he punched a nearby wall. Withdrawing his hand, he caught sight of a loose bit part of wallpaper.

Wanting to damage something... wanting to prove that he still had power... he ripped it off. After hearing it tear satisfyingly, he stepped back to admire the result of his action.

Underneath the wallpaper was a dull white wall. However, he was far more interested in the black marks that were on it. He couldn't see them completely, but he could make out the letters 'Look w'. Puzzled, Raph scratched around the tear he had made and began to pull off more wallpaper, so he could see whether there was any more writing.

There was. He scratched around the rip in the wallpaper, revealing more letters and words as slithers of paper fluttered downwards and fell onto the floor. His fingers began to ache, but within minutes he had stripped off enough wallpaper to read the entire message. He shook his hands, wincing, as he read what it said.

_Look where the piano plays and find your face. There, you'll find the secret of this place._

"It said dat on the letter," Raph said to no one, his voice a lot louder and gruff than he remembered. He rested his hand on his chin, mulling it over.

There wasn't a piano in the room, and his face was… well, on him. It had to mean something else, but he didn't know what. He had the feeling that it wasn't supposed to be taken literally, but metaphorically. Raph narrowed his eyes. It would take him far more time than he had to figure it out.

Suddenly, the room's door creaked open. Raph got out his sai and held them out in front of him. He was about to pounce on the new arrival when he noticed how short the person was.

"Raph?" Katrina took a few cautious steps forward before catching sight of him. Her eyes filled with tears as she rushed towards him, wrapping her arms around his torso. Raph looked at her, unsure of what she was doing. "It's really you!"

"Who did ya think it was?" he asked coldly, remembering how she had betrayed him. "There aren't dat many non-monsters here."

"I thought… I thought that one of the students had eaten you," she explained tearfully. "When the Lord said he was going to hunt you three down, I was really worried. Then… then Laurence… he opened his eyes and we could see where he was. He ran out of the room, but the Lord knew you would come here. He… he sent me and told me to tell him if you were here…"

"Are ya gonna tell him?" asked Raph.

"Of course not!" she exclaimed, staring at him in shock. "I… I can't work for him… not after he turned all those students into monsters! How… How could he do such a thing?"

Raph blinked. "Ya didn't know he was doin' dat?"

She shook her head furiously. "There were… some things he never told me. He told me what he was telling you. He said he graduated them and sent them away. He said… said nothing about destroying who they were and changing them into… what… what they are now! I'm so sorry Raph!" She began to cry again. "I should never have helped him! I shouldn't have ever helped him look for Leonardo!"

Having heard this from Foxglove, he wasn't too surprised. "Do ya know why he wants him?"

She twitched slightly, sniffing. "He didn't tell me why, but he says he needs him. He says that with him, he can fix everything. But I don't know what he wants to fix. It doesn't matter though. I'm not helping him anymore! I… I quit! I just want everything to get better."

Raph gazed down at the miserable little girl hugging him and embraced her, letting her sob into his plastron. She held him tighter, her knees bending and facing each other. She was no longer the serious servant that had been avoiding him for so long. She was broken... a ragdoll in his arms.

"Don't cry," he told her. "Everythin' will get better, ya'll see. Come on." He gently prised her off him. Her lower lip trembled as she let out the tears she had bottled up over the years. He walked away from her and went to the large wardrobe near them. "Lezz see if there's somethin' in here ta mop ya up with."

He opened the doors, revealing the brightly coloured garments stored inside it. Then, after a few seconds, some music began to play. Soon, the sound of a piano tinkling softly filled the room.

Raph widened his eyes and twisted his head around, reading what it said on the wall. It didn't mean a real piano; it meant the wardrobe. It had to.

Katrina followed his gaze and frowned, bewildered. "What… What is that on the w-wall? Is it some writing?"

"It's a long story," he answered, searching through the contents of the wardrobe. "I found it under the wallpaper. I think dat it means this. It wants me to look for somethin' in here, but I don't know what."

Katrina stood where she was for a moment, watching him rummage through the clothes. She didn't know why, but she joined him by his side and reached into the wardrobe. She began to take some of the clothes out, throwing them behind her so the wardrobe began to slowly empty.

"She… has a lot of clothes…" commented Raph, getting his arms tangled in a purple dress. It clung to him like he had glue all over his arms. "How'd she find the time to wear dem all?"

"It might just seem like a lot because you don't wear clothes," Katrina pointed out quietly, tossing a fluffy blue cardigan over her shoulder. She caught sight of something and pointed at it. "What's that?"

At the back of the wardrobe, near the top, was a small porcelain ballerina. It rotated slowly, its tiny eyes gazing lifelessly ahead. Its matchstick thin leg pointed backwards while the rest of its body tilted forward. Its body was white and pink, but it was something shiny that grabbed their attention. Its arms were above its head, forming a large circle, and in the gap between its dainty hands was a silver key.

Raph jumped, grabbed the key and landed next to Katrina. He held the object in his hands, examining it carefully. Was the message referring to the key? It most likely was, but he was still presented with the problem of not knowing what to do next. What was it supposed to unlock? And didn't the next part mention a face? He put the two together.

He had to unlock a face?

He didn't see how that made any sense.

It said that he had to find his face… but his face was on the front of his head. He knew where it was. He didn't need to find it.

It was something he wouldn't be surprised to hear Master Splinter say. He was always churning out proverbs and sayings that didn't seem to mean anything at first. However, sooner or later. a situation would arise where it would mean something to them. Splinter was wise and he always had an answer to life's mysteries. If it wasn't for him, Raph and his brothers would have perished long ago. Splinter could easily make sense of things that weren't what they appeared to be. He could come up with solutions to practically anything. If he was running for president, Raph would vote for him in a heartbeat.

Raph clenched his fist, the key digging into his skin.

What if he thought about it in a slightly different way? If his face was somehow lost, where would he find it? Where would he be able to see his face?

Thinking, he looked away from the wardrobe and surveyed the room. A bed? No… his face wouldn't be on his bed. The bookcase? He doubted that his face would be there. The vanity?

He stared at the mirror on it, his face gazing back at him. He lowered his eyes and saw the vanity's small drawer.

He grinned, not explaining to Katrina as he ran to it. He gave the drawer a tug and found that it was locked. He loosened his grip on the key, before finding the keyhole in the drawer and inserting the key into it. He turned his fist and was rewarded with a loud 'click'. He let go of the key, which stayed in place, and opened the drawer.

Katrina had moved next to Raph without him noticing. She looked down at the single piece of paper inside of it, slightly disappointed. Raph picked it up hesitantly. He hoped that it wasn't a letter of some sort, because he was beginning to grow sick of them. However, it turned out that it wasn't one.

It was an article from a newspaper.

**SCIENTIST BURNT ALIVE**

**Last week (Wednesday), the residence of Julian Walters burnt down. A neighbour reported the fire at 2.00am, and the fire brigade arrived shortly after. Unfortunately, it was too late and although a body was not found in the building, it is believed that he perished in the fire.**

**Walters, 32, had up until last month been a scientist working for an Animal research clinic that studies various organisms, and tries to find new cures for incurable diseases. However, he was forced to resign after it was discovered that he had been researching and attempting to find out how to create half human, half animal creatures, which went against what the research clinic stands for. He was to attend court a few days after the fire struck his house.  
**

The article most likely went onto another page, but the other side of the paper only had an advertisement for a new dating agency. Raph turned the piece of paper over so he could look at the article again. Beneath it was a black and white photograph of a man. He looked young and was smiling slightly at whoever was taking the picture. However, someone had drawn in red ink on the photo, outlining the main features of his face.

The photo was roughly twenty-five years old, but Raph could still see the resemblance between Julian and a certain someone.

"Raph…" Katrina pulled at his arm gently. "Does he… Julian… remind you of someone?"

"Yeah." Raph clenched his fists, scrunching up the article. "It all makes sense now. They _are _the same people. Blossom… He's sick."

Katrina stared at him. "What makes sense? Raph, what are you talking about?"

"Come on." He walked towards the door.

She went after him. "Where are we going?"

"To see the Lord."

Katrina froze, a horrified expression on her face. "The… The Lord? Why would you want to go to him? He wants to kill you, remember?"

"It's hard to forget."

"So why do you want to go to him? Surely it would be better to hide from him so he can't get you!"

Raph stopped walking and turned to face her, a sad expression on his face. "Kitty, I can't do dat. It wouldn't be right."

"What, dying is the right thing to do?" she asked, a touch of frustration in her tone.

"I never said dat," he told her angrily. "Look, I can't jus' sit here and let him do what he wants. I have to stop him."

"Stop him from doing what? Killing you? Because you can, if you stay here."

"Kitty, stayin' here won't do nothin'. He'll find me eventually, and den what? I have to try and stop him before he hurts anyone else… even if it means hurtin' me."

Katrina realized she wasn't going to win this argument. She lowered her gaze. "I… I understand. If you think it's right… I can't stop you. But what about me?"

"Ya can stay here if ya want. You will be safe until someone finds ya. If ya come wit' me, he'll know about ya double crossin' him, but I'll try and protect ya. It's yer choice. I can't make it for ya."

Raph left the room. He tried to close the door behind him, but something got in the way and stopped him from doing so. A small, black shoe was wedged between the doorway and the door. He raised his head and looked into the eyes of Katrina, who was staring at him determinedly.

"If you're going, then I'm coming with you!" she said, opening it and slipping through the gap. Her body was shaking and she wrapped her arms around her body, trying to keep still. "It's the least I could do, for all the bad things I did."

"But the Lord made ya do dem," said Raph. "Yer free now. Ya don't have ta do anythin' ya don't wanna do."

"I want to come with you," Katrina assured him stubbornly. "I… I want to do the right thing too. I want to stop the Lord!"

Raph smiled at her. "Come on, den."

They ran down the hallway and entered another. The creature that Raph had knocked out earlier was still unconscious, its head lying in a small pile of rubble. Raph walked past it, making sure that Katrina was walking very closely behind him. He was clutching his sai, his knuckles a lot more pale than usual.

In the next corridor, there were two Human Hybrids. They saw him as soon as he went around the corner, so he couldn't quickly try and hide. Raph watched them, snarling. He felt Katrina grab hold of his left arm and squeeze it. He looked over his shoulder at her, catching sight of what he guessed was the reason Katrina had tried to get his attention.

Three of them were behind him, moaning as they approached him and Katrina. Raph turned his head to and fro, guardedly watching them. Katrina gulped, holding onto Raph's arm so tightly that he was beginning to lose feeling in it.

He yanked it away from her and shook his arm irately. "Shell, Kitty, I still need it."

"What are we going to do?" she asked. "There's too many of them to fight."

Raph didn't want to admit that she was right. He had taken down one but five at the same time didn't really appeal to him. Unfortunately for him, it didn't look like he had much of a choice.

"Stay where ya are," he told her curtly, before running forward and starting a fight with the two creatures in front of him. The other three bounded towards Katrina and she froze, bracing herself. However, they just went past her and began to brawl with Raph. She relaxed slightly and watched the fight.

Raph kicked one of them in the face, causing the creature to stagger backwards. One of the creatures brought its fist towards his head, but Raph ducked at the last moment, causing the creature to thump one of the others.

It screamed, leaping over Raph's crouched figure so it could pounce onto its attacker. The other three snarled, waving their arms like crazy, most likely saying in monster language, 'We have a turtle to kill, remember?'

The two creatures stopped and nodded slightly, looking back at Raph.

He scratched his head. Why did they attack each other? They obviously knew that they were meant to take him down, yet they fought each other when hit. It was like they had mistaken their attacker for him.

One of the creatures suddenly punched him. Raph flew backwards and skidded across the ground, a long graze forming on the left side of his body. He growled, sitting up and spitting.

The five creatures ran to him. They lurched forward, but he rolled out of the way. They slid across the ground, stopping just before they reached Katrina, and were back on their feet within a few seconds. She trembled, stepping away.

Raph stood up, ignoring the stinging pain in his arm and leg. He groaned, wiping his mouth. His scratched hand had blood smeared across it, which made him remove his gaze from it and look at his opponent.

"There has ta be an easier way," he muttered, looking around. "Argh, why does it have ta be so dark?"

A grin spread onto his face. He looked at Katrina. "Kitty, do ya know a way to get the lights back on?"

"What? Oh, the switch is probably somewhere around here," she said. "They usually aren't on during the day, so now all the windows have been blocked, there's hardly any light."

"Find the switch and turn dem on," he told her.

He ran forward and punched one of the creatures in the face. It absorbed his blow and jerked its head forward, knocking him to the ground. Raph moved away from them, going backwards on his hands and knees. The creatures advanced towards him little by little, grunting. Raph got to his feet shakily, holding up his fists. His sai were somewhere behind him, having been knocked out of his hands at some point.

Two of the creatures attacked him at once, and he only just managed to get out of the way. Another one ducked its head and rammed his legs. Raph moaned as he rolled backwards on the ground.

He didn't know how much more of this he could take.

He could see one of them look down at him, an inhuman glint in its eyes. He held out his hands in front of him. If it landed on him, it would have to go through them first.

It was about to slam into him when the room suddenly filled with light. The creatures reared their heads and howled, clutching their heads. Raph got to his feet and used the last of his strength to let out a mad series of punches and kicks. The creatures, unable to defend themselves, soon lay battered on the ground.

Katrina approached Raph and beamed at him. "You did it! That was amazing."

He shrugged, trying to stay modest. "You were the one who turned the lights on."

"You told me to though!" she said, laughing. "Wow, that was amazing! How did you know they didn't like the light?"

"The one I met about a month ago at night was a challenge, but the one dis afternoon was a lot weaker... and I guessed dat it was 'cause it was out in the light. If he keeps dem in his basement and only lets dem out at night, they ain't gonna be used to the light." He paused, before adding, "If we put on all the lights, we can get to Warumagi's office a lot quicker."

They sprinted down the length of the corridor. Katrina, whose knowledge of where everything was nearly flawless, went into the darkness and turned the lights on. The six creatures that were in the new corridor began to shriek and stumble in random directions. Raph and Katrina went past them.

The same process continued until they were outside the door that led to the corridor in front of Warumagi's office. They stood in front of it.

Raph looked at Katrina. "Here we are. Once we go in, there ain't no turnin' back."

"And what would I be turning away from?" she asked him, gesturing towards the whining creatures behind her. "This?"

He nodded and opened the door, and the two of them went in.


	24. Goodbye Laurence

They crept down the corridor, their breath caught in their throats. Before, Raph had found the paintings on the walls disturbing. Now, he couldn't bring himself to even glance at them. It was hard for him to think that the young girl with the bright red hair had once been his best friend.

They reached the end of the corridor. Katrina touched the door that had behind it the Lord's office. What else lay behind it? Her future, most likely... if she even had one. On one hand, if they were to confront Warumagi and win, she didn't know what would become of her. This place had been her life. On the other hand, were they to confront Warumagi and lose, she wouldn't have a life, let alone a future.

But what life did she have here? She was a servant, forced to do whatever her Lord told her to do. She was told to do things she knew were wrong and things she didn't understand. Did she want things to stay the same?

_"Yer free now. Ya don't have ta do anythin' ya don't wanna do."_

_"I want to do the right thing. I... I want to stop the Lord too!"_

She scrunched up her face. She had made her choice. She couldn't turn back.

"Kitty." She looked up at the sound of her name, jumping slightly. Raph got out the teleporter and pressed it into her hands. "Put this safe. If somethin' bad happens, I don't want him havin' it. Yer got better hidin' places than me, what with all yer clothes and all."

She nodded, turning away from him and slipping it somewhere.

When she had hidden it, she opened the door and they walked in cautiously. The lights were on and it was seemingly deserted. Raph studied the room suspiciously. "Where are all the monsters?"

"Elsewhere," answered Katrina.

"Yeah, I kinda figured dat out by myself."

"They're around..." The door leading to the basement opened, and Warumagi emerged with a large grin on his face. "... Looking for you. Fortunately, it seems that they can halt their search, seeing as Katrina has brought you here. For once, I'm actually pleased with you."

"What?" exclaimed Katrina. "What did I do?"

"You brought Raphael here so I could destroy him myself," laughed Warumagi, throwing out his arms and looking as though he was hugging a giant invisible ball. "I'm impressed you managed to trick him to come here."

"Oh…" Katrina's face flushed. "Well, um… about that, my lord… You see… I… I didn't really…"

"Take credit where credit is due," he said, standing on one foot and spinning in a circle. He clapped his hands and shook his head, grinning. "And I suggest you do, because before now you have been useless."

"She ain't useless," Raph snarled.

"You sound angry," Warumagi commented in mock concern. "Is something bothering you, Raphael?"

"You tell me… _Julian._"

Raph had never seen someone's expression change so quickly.

"I'm sorry," he said, his face twitching, "but what did you call me? My name is Benedict, not Julian."

"Dat was yer name after yer burnt yer house down," Raph told him coldly. "I read a very interestin' newspaper article, Warumagi. Or should I say Walters?"

Warumagi remained silent, his eyes bulging and his hands trembling as he resisted the urge to run forward and attack the mutant turtle in front of him.

Raph began to pace. "No wonder Donnie couldn't find out anythin' about ya… Ya changed yer name so you were a nobody."

"What are you talking about?" asked Warumagi, answering a bit too quickly. "I didn't do anything of the sort."

"They never found a body." Raph pointed at him. "'Cause ya never died. Ya lost yer job and you had ta go to court, so ya took the easy way out. Ya pretended ta die and went to live somewhere where no one knew ya."

"Lies!" hissed Warumagi, stamping his foot like a child does when they don't get their own way. "You're lying."

"And then ya met yer wife," Raph continued angrily. "Ya didn't tell her who ya really were and as soon as you could, ya married. Ya married her one year after ya met so you could live here, far away from everyone else. Seems a little suspicious, don't ya think? No wonder ya ripped up her diary."

Warumagi smirked, "I didn't rip it up."

"Ya did."

"No. Rest assured that I did no such thing. I haven't been in that room for years."

"Who else could have done it?" asked Raph. "The only people who knew about the room were you, me, Foxglove and…"

Raph turned his attention to Katrina.

"It… it was me." She scrunched up her fists, gazing at the ground. "When… When you went to the room the first time, I went in afterwards to inspect it and… and saw her diary out of place. I told the Lord… and he told me to rip it up so you couldn't read it. I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"Bad servant," the Lord said coldly, striding forward and picking her up by her right arm. He shook her furiously. "I would have you beaten if you hadn't brought Raphael here."

"She didn't bring me here," growled Raph. "She's with me. We're gonna stop whatever yer tryin' ta do."

"Don't be foolish, she isn't with you. She tricked you," Warumagi retorted. He stared into Katrina's eyes. "You tricked him, didn't you? You're still my servant, aren't you?"

Katrina didn't answer him.

"Answer me!" he demanded, shaking her harder. "It's not a trick question, idiot."

"Let her go!" Raph's arm struck out and hit Warumagi in the face. He let go of her, withdrawing his arm and holding it against his chest. Katrina hid behind Raph, shivering. Raph positioned himself into a defensive stance, willing the headmaster to try and get near them.

"Katrina…" Warumagi gazed at her. "You don't want to be my servant anymore, do you? You want to work against me with him, don't you?"

"I wasn't your servant… I was your slave," she mumbled, only just loud enough for him to hear.

Warumagi's face burned with hatred. "I expected as much from you. You all want to ruin everything for me. I can't do anything without _someone _trying to stop me. First it was those stupid scientists at the clinic, then Mellissa and then…"

Something washed over his eyes. Regret?

"Then… Blossom got in my way." He lowered his head, his face pointing towards the ground.

Katrina gasped, covering her mouth. Then, fearfully, she looked at Raph. "When he says Blossom… does he mean…?"

"His daughter was Blossom," Raph confirmed, feeling his stomach churn. Saying it out loud, accepting it openly made him want to be sick. "Dat's why she never graduated, even though she was the smartest student here." He stared at Warumagi, gritting his teeth. "She was yer daughter, and ya turned her one of those Human Hybrids! Where'd ya get the other students from, huh?"

"I found them on the streets," Warumagi answered, his head still tilted forwards so they couldn't see his face. "I had such a range of teenagers. You wouldn't believe how many there were. I offered them a good home… ha ha… and I gave them one. All I had to was drive them to this far off place and get them into my special machine. You wouldn't believe how desperate they were… The mutation erased all the memories they had of their previous life, so the first thing they could remember was waking up here."

"Wol isn't a teenager," remarked Katrina.

Warumagi's body shuddered, acknowledging her statement. "He was my first successful test subject. He was an old work colleague… the only person who didn't look down on me because of my research. I took him under my wing." He chortled. "All the others before him had mutated to the extent that their DNA couldn't take it and broke down. He was my first successful test subject. Then, I started collecting other people."

"Where does yer wife come in?" asked Raph, clenching his fists.

"Melissa became suspicious. I admit I had, ah, neglected her and Blossom a bit. I couldn't help it. I needed to work. She went behind my back, scouring the internet and snooping around. She must have discovered that article about me. She must have realized who I was and what I was doing. She confronted me one night. I never thought she would turn on me. I thought she loved me. It went on for weeks, her threatening me. Saying if I didn't stop, she would report me to the police."

"So ya took the easy way out."

Katrina moved in front of him in case Raph tried to attack. And by the look on his face, he was considering it.

"It was not easy at all. I waited until she was asleep before moving her. As I put her into my machine, she woke up. I watched her change. She screamed in agony. It broke my heart... I hadn't expected it to be so horrific. Her reaction was not like the others before her. It was..."

A single sob escaped his body.

"Afterwards. it was just me and Blossom left. I couldn't stand to look at her. She resembled her mother so greatly. She had always been closer to her than me. She kept asking me questions like 'where's Mommy?' and when I said she was dead, she was heartbroken. She wouldn't do anything. She used to love dancing. She'd spend hours in my wife's room, opening her closet and dancing. She stopped doing that. She became empty. She wasn't the little ballerina girl I had always known. She was a ghost. Dead. I couldn't bear to see her suffer, so I thought she could do with a fresh start. She'd lost her mind... I just wanted her to be happy again..."

"What'd ya mean, she lost her mind?" shouted Raph in disbelief. "Yer the one who lost their mind! Ya changed yer family into… into mutants!"

"And I regret it. Melissa, see… it went wrong with her. Her body became unstable… I thought I was going to lose her… I made her a promise. I told her I would look after Blossom and make everything better. I intend to keep that promise... and more."

"More?" asked Katrina, taking advantage of the fact that for some reason, Warumagi was telling them his secrets. "What do you mean by… more?"

"I'm going to punish everyone for what they did to me. My name was in tatters after the press revealed my plans. I had only wanted to extend our knowledge of life so it could be put to good use, but no… everyone thought I was a monster. Luckily, I had planned ahead, suspecting this would happen, and had this building made with the money I saved up. I will make the whole world pay for what they did to me!"

"And how do ya plan on doin' dat?" asked Raph, expecting a very unsettling reason.

"I am going to unleash my mutation on a large scale!" he explained, not disappointing him. "I plan on setting off a device that will emit the required radiation, causing people for hundreds of miles to absorb it and metamorphose. They will be my slaves, and I shall make them do what _I _want! Then, I will make them blend in with the rest of the world. My idea of allowing them to change into their human form was a stroke of genius. Yes, it took a long time to perfect, but nothing is too great for me. Slowly, but surely, the world will be populated by my creations."

"But… surely you don't have enough materials to do it on a mass scale?" Katrina said feebly.

"Well… admittedly, that is correct. Right now, its range would only contaminate those inside this building. I would need more materials," Warumagi said darkly. "Oh yes, much more.._. _with a little extra money, I'll be able to afford everything I need. And that is where Leonardo comes in. All I have to do is contact my boss, and he will give me millions… no, _billions _of dollars!"

Raph narrowed his eyes. "Who wants Leo? Who's yer boss?"

Warumagi smirked, "Oh, don't you know?"

"If I did, I wouldn't be askin' ya, would I?" shouted Raph, his hands shooting out in front of him. Katrina gasped, grabbing hold of one of them. She longed to explain that Warumagi couldn't talk if he was bleeding on the ground, but she didn't want the Lord to change his mind about revealing his plan. She settled on gazing into his eyes pleadingly.

He shook her off, growling. After throwing her a withering look, he turned back to Warumagi. The man's face was still facing downwards, as though he didn't want them to see his face.

"Oh, you do know," Warumagi whispered, trembling. It took the other two a moment to realize he was fighting the urge to laugh. "You know him very well. That's why I know you so well. You and your brother. I know you all."

Raph flinched. Thinking Warumagi was playing with his mind, he snarled, "Ya know nothin' about me. Yer just a whack job."

"Yes," Katrina agreed, staring at the Lord coldly. "All these things you've done... You're crazy. Absolutely crazy. You're... You're inhuman!"

"Look who's talking," Warumagi scoffed, his body stilling. "You're disposable. Shall I tell you why?"

Katrina didn't say anything.

He recognized her silence as a reluctant interest. "I work with... some people. They created you and sent you here. You're not a real person. You were created in a lab with the sole purpose of serving me."

Anger washed over her eyes and when it settled, there was horror. "No. You're lying."

"I haven't lied up until now during this conversation, have I?"

She clutched her mouth, shaking her head. "You're lying. I am a real person. I have feelings."

Raph's eyes darted between the pair, trying to make sense of what was happening.

"You weren't born naturally." Warumagi's voice was quiet. "And once my long journey reaches its end... you have no reason to live. You only exist because of what I seek to do. Look at you. You're fighting against the very reason you are here today."

Her eyes filled with tears, the truth crushing her heart.

"You were created and sent to me, so you could help me achieve my goal. And my goal I shall reach so very soon. They will regret tossing out Julian Walters. They will wish they had never messed with me."

"I have one question," said Raph.

"Yes?"

"Why did ya tell us yer entire plan?"

Warumagi raised his head and grinned maliciously. It was rather startling. "To lull you into a false sense of security until my Human Hybrids arrived."

Katrina gasped as Raph straightened up and widened his eyes. "Say what?"

The lights suddenly went out, and the sound of growling and ripping filled the room.

TMNTNMT

The first thing Raph thought was, 'Am I dead?'

His body felt dead. It felt like he had been stuffed into a washing machine and hung out to dry. His body ached like crazy, but was he dead?

He should have been dead. The whole 'insane ex-scientist sending out monsters to eat him' thing had kind of proved that. Yet here he was, mulling over his existence. If he was dead, surely he wouldn't be able to think about whether he was dead? Of course, he had never been dead and wouldn't know, but still…

He opened his eyes. His surroundings would probably do a good job of telling him where he was.

He was chained to a wall in a dim room. Twisting his head to one side, he saw that Katrina was also tied to the wall. He attempted to break free, but the chains attached to him severely limited his movement. He growled, turning away from the unconscious Katrina and looking forward.

They were in what appeared to be a laboratory. It was stuffed full of complicated looking machines, as well tall forbidding glass pods. Beneath the pods were tubes, which all led to a strange dark green liquid in the middle of the room. The pods reminded him of his last visit to the Foot. Raph's frown deepened when he saw Warumagi, who was kneeling beside the liquid and dipping what looked like a thermometer into it. After a minute, he took it out and put it into one of the machines. He caught sight of Raph and smiled cruelly.

"You're awake," he commented, walking over to him.

"Lemme down," Raph told him quietly, shooting daggers at him with his eyes.

Warumagi raised his eyebrows. "Oh, you're awfully cranky today."

"Shut yer face," snapped Raph, "before I do it for you."

"I'm so frightened."

Raph tried to raise his hand and strike him, only to remember that he couldn't move his arm. Warumagi chuckled, striding away from him and holding his arms above his head.

"Magnificent, isn't it?"

"I've seen better."

"Oh yes," sneered Warumagi sarcastically. "There are so many laboratories in the sewer system, aren't there?"

Raph was about to mention Donatello and Leatherhead when Katrina stirred. Sleepily, she gazed around, not taking in her surroundings for a few seconds. Then, she completely woke up and stared, open-mouthed, at her new location.

"Huh?" She tried to move her limbs, only to find that she couldn't. "Where… Where are w-we? Why aren't we d-dead?"

"You are in my workplace," Warumagi announced. "This is where my life's work lives, and it is where you will witness the start of a new dominant race."

"What?" said Raph dryly. "Yer not killin' us now?"

"Raph, don't give him ideas!" hissed Katrina.

"I have only chosen to let you live because death would be too pleasant for you," Warumagi explained. "No… you are going to be part of my new world. You are very lucky. It is such an honour to work for me."

Raph could just feel himself fill with excitement at the prospect of becoming a mindless monster.

"The three of you are going to be given a dose of my new concoction."

"Three?" Raph counted in his head. Him. Katrina… that was it.

"Laurence," Warumagi said, "you can go first."

"Laur-?" Raph saw the lemur hybrid get untied from the wall by Warumagi. He had been in a shadowy corner, explaining why Raph hadn't seen him until then. When he was free, Warumagi led him to the green pool in the middle of the room, before backing away so he could watch the next scene happen.

Laurence gulped, watching his shimmering reflection stare fearfully back at him. He turned to Warumagi, who made shooing gestures at him.

"Go on, I want to see it work," Warumagi said impatiently. "If you don't go in, I'll just feed you to one of my hybrids. They're starving."

Laurence trembled.

"Laurence, don't do it!" shouted Raph. "Ya can't join him. You won't be you anymore."

He looked at Raph, trying not to cry. "What can I do, Raphael?"

"Get us down," answered Raph. "If ya put ma sai in ma hands, I bet I can get myself down and get us all out."

"There's no hope," Warumagi told him.

"There's no hope," repeated Laurence. "You said that if I trusted you, everything would be alright."

"Ya didn't though," Raph retorted. "I said dat ya would be safe if ya stayed in dat room, and ya didn't."

"What? Stay in there?" burst out Laurence, raising his voice for the first time Raph had known him. "Stay in there while everything was getting destroyed around me? Why should I trust you? You said that Blossom was okay, but you lied."

"We didn't know. Me... Foxglove... You... We had no-"

"It wasn't me, you, Foxglove and Blossom. It was you, Foxglove and Blossom. None of you wanted me around."

"We did, it was just-"

"You never told me stuff. You all had your secrets while I was on the outside, all alone," he cut in. "No matter what I did, I just wasn't good enough for you! I wasn't good enough to be your friend."

"You were our friend; it's just dat-"

"No!" Laurence shook his head. "I was stupid. My only true friend was Charles, and he got expelled. It was my fault… I didn't stop him… I ran away like a coward."

"And what are ya runnin' into now?" he asked. "I'll tell ya what yer freakin' runnin' into. Ya runnin' into the worst thin' ya could do."

"Charles doesn't deserve to be one of them," Laurence mumbled. "He didn't break any promises… I was the one that did… I deserve to be one of them, not him."

"No one deserves to be one of them!" Katrina said. She looked pleadingly at Warumagi, "Please tell him that it wasn't his fault."

The Lord said nothing.

"It's time for me to get what was coming," Laurence said, clenching his fists. "It's time for me to be punished."

"Please." Katrina's lower lip trembled. "You have a life. You have a purpose."

Raph raised a single eye ridge. "What would Foxglove say if she saw ya doin' this?"

Laurence's face became apprehensive. "She... Maybe I shouldn't..."

Warumagi, who had moved next to him unnoticed, yawned and pushed Laurence in.

"No!" screamed Katrina, jerking her body towards the pool as he sunk out of sight. She struggled, tears falling from her eyes. "No…"

He mopped his forehead with a handkerchief. "He wasted so much valuable time."

"Y-You're a monster," she cried, the tears dripping off her cheeks and onto the cold hard floor. "How could you do that?"

"Well, it was simple. I just pushed-"

"If I could, I would kill ya!" Raph bellowed, struggling violently against the chains restricting his movement. His eyes were murderous.

"I gave him a choice!" argued Warumagi. "He didn't have to go into it. He could have been eaten by one of my minions. I just gave him... a nudge in the right direction."

"I don't know what's wron' with ya, but whatever it is... Yer sick."

"Look, tell you what, you can have the same choice," Warumagi told him. "You can choose to join me… or you can choose to be against me. You can choose to live under my rule… or you can choose to die today. Which one do you want?"

Raph forced himself to talk in as calm a voice as possible, determined not to show any fear or weakness, even during his last moments. "I would rather die than work for ya."

Warumagi looked at Katrina. "I didn't injure you much, because you can still take back your job as my servant. We'll leave everything in the past, if you take back your position. What's it going to be?"

"I've made my choice," she stated. "I'm never going back to you. I would rather have no purpose than work for you again."

Warumagi exhaled. "If you insist. I will just release my army and tell them that dinner is ready."

He went towards a red button that was on one of the walls.

Raph bowed his head. This was it. He had tried his hardest to save the world, yet he hadn't even been able to save himself. Fang… Charles… Blossom… Laurence… Katrina… The school… Everyone. He hadn't protected them. He had had the chance to fix things, but he had messed it up. He had thought that he didn't need his family, but it looked like he was wrong.

He did need them.

He needed them more than ever…

It was just a shame that it had taken him so long to realize that.

Warumagi was just about to press his hand onto the button when something flew past his hand, hitting the bit of wall next to it. He stopped, turning to the door.

"No offence Mikey, but your aim's really bad."


	25. Goodbye Warumagi

"Hey; I hadn't like, been aiming for his hand."

Raphael stared at the group of people who were standing at the top of the staircase leading into the room, wondering whether he was dreaming or not. They couldn't be there… he had been about to die. He was about to be fed to a group of monsters.

But there they were.

His family.

First came Michelangelo, sliding down the handrail. When he neared the bottom, he sprung upwards and flipped in midair, before landing neatly on the ground. He surveyed the area curiously, his gaze settling on the large pool of liquid in the middle of the room.

"Whoa…" His mouth was agape for a moment; however, he recovered quickly and cracked a smile. "Are you guys making pea soup in here?"

There were footsteps… and then the second brother followed him down.

"I… don't think that's soup," Donatello remarked, bending down and peering at it. "If I was to hazard a guess, I would say that whatever it is, it's extremely pernicious."

"It's what now?"

"You know… detrimental."

"Eh… that's a bad thing, right?"

"Yeah."

Raph heard someone else descend the stairs at a fast yet slightly uneven pace. He stopped watching his brothers and paid attention to the newcomer. She was fiddling with the metal chains tying him to the wall with a screwdriver. After a moment, they fell off him and he could finally feel the ground beneath his feet.

"April?" Raph croaked, staring at the redhead in front of him. "How…?"

"We'll explain everything later. Right now, we need to get you out of here."

"But Warumagi…"

"Geez, Raph. Ya ain't in no condition to do nothin'," Casey Jones interrupted, having come down without Raph noticing. He slung Raph's arm around his shoulder. "Have ya looked in a mirror lately? An' I ain't sayin' dat jus' 'cos yer ugly."

Warumagi didn't move, unable to apprehend what had just happened. His mouth hung open slightly, and his eyes were focussing on the slowly increasing number of new arrivals.

April worked on Katrina's restraint while Casey helped Raph walk. It was only then that the red masked turtle realized just how injured he was. He could barely stand, and the numbness within him was being replaced by a sharp pain. He leaned his body away from Casey, not wanting to be dependent on him. Before he could fall sideways and escape, though, he bumped into someone else.

"You're so lucky that you're hurt. If you weren't, I would so kill you for what you did," hissed Foxglove, grabbing hold of Raph's free arm so she and Casey were sharing his weight evenly. "If you ever, _ever _do something stupid like that again, I will kill you."

"Come on," said April, picking up Katrina and carrying her. It looked like she was on the verge of passing out. "Leo and Master Splinter are waiting for us. If we keep them waiting for too long, they might attempt a rescue."

Warumagi snapped back to attention. "Leonardo? He's here? Where is he?"

"Hey, is that Warumagi?" asked Don, jerking his thumb in his direction. Warumagi was smiling gleefully, rubbing his hands together with a slightly mad expression on his face.

"Yeah," Raph mumbled, feeling awfully lightheaded.

Mikey looked at Foxglove, raising his brow. "Wow… he _is_ as crazy as you said he was."

"He's crazier than dat," muttered Raph darkly. His legs were aching so he bent them.

"We need to get Raph outta 'ere," Casey told the others. They began walking towards the stairs. "He's pretty out of it."

"No, I ain't!" snarled Raph. He suddenly lost his balance and shot forwards. Casey and Foxglove pulled him back to his feet and put their arms around his torso for extra support.

Mikey ran up the stairs first, jumping up and down as soon as he reached the top. Don took Katrina from April, and the two of them quickly ascended the staircase.

Warumagi watched them, still unmoving, with the smallest trace of delight on his face.

Raph and the two people aiding him went up last, closing the door behind them. They were in the bright office again. Raph squinted his eyes at the light, slipping his arm off Foxglove so he could shield them.

Mikey clapped his hands once. "Easiest. Rescue Mission. Ever."

"Dat's 'cos he let us escape," grumbled Raph. "We ain't the person he wants. Where's Leo and Master Splinter?"

"Here." The last two members of his family came forward. Leonardo put his hands on Raph's shoulders. "I'm so relieved that you're all right..."

He looked Raph up and down, taking in all the bruises and scratches on his body.

"Well, you're alive, anyway."

"My son..." Leo moved out of the way so Master Splinter could stand in front of Raph. "You do not know how happy we are to see you again. We have missed you so much."

Raph's body shook and he fell forward. Casey and Foxglove tried to grab him, but it turned out that Raph had purposely moved. Splinter nodded at him, embracing his son in a hug.

"I missed ya all too," Raph mumbled into his sensei's robe.

"The one day I didn't bring a camera," sighed Mikey, crossing his arms.

"Guys." Don looked over his shoulder. "We haven't saved the day just yet. That Warumagi guy is still down there, or did you forget?"

Remembering the headmaster's plan, Raph broke away from Splinter and stared at everyone, swaying slightly. April grabbed a nearby armchair and dragged it so it was positioned behind him. Raph sat down immediately, waiting for his head to stop spinning.

"He's right," Katrina said, wiggling. Don put her down carefully, and she stood relatively well. "We need to stop Warumagi. He wants to turn the whole world into horrible monsters. Speaking of which, where are they?"

"Those really big animal thin's?" asked Casey, grinning. "Yeah… we met dem earlier. They're outside the door in the hallway. Leo and Mastah Splintah stayed here in case they came in. Why do ya think we took so long to get here?"

"How did you get here?" asked Raph.

"Right." Foxglove cleared her throat. "After you rudely pushed me through that portal, I landed in New York. I think that was the last destination visited using the teleporter, so I ended up where I did. I really wanted to get back to you, so I went to that place where April works. I told her everything, and she took me to your family to say what happened _again. _You never told me you lived in the sewers. That's just gross. Oh yeah, so I went there and we were trying to think of a way to get back to you, and then purplely…"

"She still had some charged molecules attached to her fur," Don explained, "which were there from her journey through the rift the 'teleporter' created. You see, it's like an accelerator. Going through it speeds your particles up, causing you to travel so fast that-"

"Could ya just get ta the point?" interrupted Raph impatiently. "We ain't got all day."

"I was able to use this to track down the location she entered here, re-open the rift and go through it to arrive here," explained Don, faintly irritated at Raph. "We materialized in this room, where there were about a dozen of these… I'm guessing they're those 'Human Hybrids' you mentioned in your letter."

"He's quite smart," added Foxglove. "You know that chip in my brain? The one that let Warumagi see and hear the same things I did? He disabled it in like a few minutes. And don't get me started on how these guys fight. They took down those Human Hybrid things easily. Much better than you did, Raph."

He narrowed his eyes.

"They were pretty tough," said Mikey, putting his hands behind his head. He was grinning like crazy. "But they were no match for the-"

April leaned towards Foxglove and whispered, "You might want to cover your ears."

"BATTLE NEXUS CHAMPION!" finished Mikey, cackling.

"He'd gone a whole month without mentioning it," Don piped up sadly. "A new record for him."

"Michelangelo." Splinter raised a finger to his lips and cast his eyes towards the door. When it remained perfectly still, he turned back to the others and whispered to Katrina, "Please, elaborate on this plan you mentioned earlier."

She looked startled. "How do you know my name?"

Foxglove raised her hand. "I gave them a brief outline on what's what, but I don't know about his big plan."

"Okay..." Katrina exhaled, willing herself to tell them. They were strangers, and she was always shy around strangers, but if they were Raph's family then she knew she could trust them. Or rather, she had to trust them. "The Lord- I mean, Warumagi wants to… mutate everyone into what those creatures are… the ones you met earlier. Right now, he can only mutate people that are in this building, but he says that with the right amount of money, he could change the entire world!"

"Mutate… the world?" repeated Casey, scratching his head. "How's he gonna do dat?"

"I don't know, but I have the feeling it involves that giant green bath down there," April replied. "How does he plan on getting all the money he needs to mutate the human population? I can't see the government funding this sort of project."

Raph, Foxglove and Katrina turned to Leo. Leo gave them a bewildered expression before saying, "Why are you looking at me?"

"'Cos yer his way of gettin' all dat money," explained Raph. "See… Somehow, he found out there's a whole lotta money for yer head."

"Really?" Mikey said, looking Leo up and down. "He doesn't look like he's worth _that _much."

"It depends who wants him," Splinter told them. "Leonardo defeated Oroku Saki in a duel, as well as helping to exile him. There is also the Daimyo's son and Kojima... and many more. I suspect that certain people would want him very much."

"I'll remember that when I'm low on cash," said Mikey. Leo glared at him. "I'm kidding!"

He looked away.

"… Maybe."

"So what can we do?" asked Foxglove. "I bet the- uh, Warumagi's down there, waiting for us to take Leonardo to him. That's why he let us go. He wanted us to go get him."

"Well, we can't do that," Don told them, gazing pensively into empty space. "There has to be a way to stop him."

Silence descended on them like a snowstorm as they tried to think of a plan.

Unsurprisingly, Leonardo was the first to get the 'I have a really good plan' twinkle in his eyes.

"He wants me? Well, we're going to give me to him."

"What?" spluttered Mikey. "Isn't that what we supposed to be avoiding?"

"No, listen…" said Leo. "Where's the teleporter? Do you still have it?"

Katrina jumped, before turning away and reaching somewhere. Then, she turned around and held it out.

"Dare I ask where you hid that?" asked Don.

"Between my vest and my dress," she answered, blushing a bit. "Thankfully, th-Warumagi gives me quite tight clothing, so it didn't fall out."

"Perfect." Leo smiled. "Now, here's what we're going to do…"

As he elaborated, Raph's frown turned into a smile. He couldn't come up with the best of plans, but his brother sure could.

TMNTNMT

Warumagi pretended to look uninterested as his enemies re-entered the basement. He had expected them to storm down, waving their weapons and shouting out battle cries. Though to be honest, he didn't expect Raph to be in a good enough condition to do that. The turtle had his arms around April and Mikey's shoulders, and he was moving slowly. Still… the others were fit enough to challenge him to a fight.

Warumagi tensed, waiting for them to attack. Why else would they be there?

Leonardo stepped forward, causing Warumagi to flinch. The turtle gazed at him seriously. "Warumagi, we discussed what we think we should do… and have come up with two options. However, we thought that you should be allowed to say which one you think is the most preferable."

"Very well," groaned Warumagi, knowing that the two choices were not going to be in his favour. "What are they?"

"You can admit that what you are doing is wrong and surrender. If you choose to do this, we can assist you on getting your life back on track. Don can aid you in creating an antidote for your wife."

Warumagi raised his eyebrows. "I see. Tell me what my other option is."

"If you choose the alternative option and attempt to get hold of me or try anything funny, my family and I will stop you. We will not be sympathetic if you try to kill off an entire race, and we will stop you before handing you over to the authorities."

"I do not wish to offend you… well… I do, but I'm not particularly fond of either of them," Warumagi told him.

"I'm sorry." Splinter came forward, the voice of reasoning. "However, we cannot allow you to harm the world with your poison. What you wish to do will affect many innocent lives."

"They aren't innocent!" he spat venomously. "Everyone caused this to happen to me. They must suffer the consequences!"

"Revenge is a vicious circle that has no end," Splinter told him calmly, his eyes darker than usual. "They may have caused you to experience a lot of pain, but will doing it back to them be the right thing to do? Will taking their humanity away from them show the true humanity inside of you? Or will it just prove to the world that what they think of you is correct?"

Warumagi curled his lip. "They won't be able to be proved anything once they're my slaves."

"So this is not a lesson you are trying to teach?" said Splinter, anger tainting his words. "It is merely a way to destroy those who disagree with your opinion."

Warumagi didn't reply.

"Mister Warumagi, we are giving you a chance to turn away from this. You do not have to release your hatred in such a cruel way. We can help you, but only if you accept it."

Warumagi turned away. "It's too late for me to turn back to anything."

"It is never too late to turn to the side of good."

"Why should I listen to you? You're an old rat in a dress!" sneered Warumagi, walking away from them.

Don opened his mouth to say something, but April shook her head before he could say anything. He sighed, gazing at the headmaster with disapproval in his eyes. Raph growled,

"So you aren't accepting our offer?" asked Splinter.

"Of course not!" Warumagi scoffed, clicking his fingers. "Come out."

Nothing happened.

"Well," said Mikey. "That was kinda lame."

A head rose out of the green pool. Its body was covered with dark fur; however, its face was quite pale. It growled, its body submerging from the liquid as it moved towards the edge and climbed out. Its eyes were rather small, but the dark patches of fur around them made them look a lot bigger. It hissed, its striped tail trailing across the ground as it moved forward.

"Is that… Laurence?" asked Foxglove, raising her hands to her face.

Raph nodded. "Yeah."

"But… the room…"

"He left before I got back. We saw him go into that green stuff."

Foxglove's eyes darkened. She pointed at Warumagi. "You evil, twisted maniac! I'll… I'll kill you!"

She ran towards him but before she reached him, Laurence got in her way. Less brave, she began to draw back. Laurence snarled, following her.

"Foxglove!" bellowed Raph, struggling. April and Mikey grabbed hold of him, stopping him from breaking away from them. "Get off me."

"Raph, you're too injured," April informed him. "It would take you down in a heartbeat."

"But…"

"Come on, bro," Mikey said pleadingly. "If it tries to like, hurt her, we'll step in. For all we know, she has a plan."

"It will, though. It'll attack her."

"Look," Foxglove snapped, overhearing them. "I can handle this. He won't hurt me. If I reason with him, I bet I can-"

She lost her footing and fell over. Laurence stopped walking and raised his hands, getting ready to jump on her.

"It's me, Foxglove!" she told him, her eyes large and pleading. "Don't you remember me? We used to be friends. We are still friends! You don't want to hurt me."

Laurence lowered his hands. Foxglove nodded encouragingly.

"Remember all the things we used to do together? We went to the library… we hung out together… you don't have to do what the Lord tells you to do. We can help you become normal. We can find a way to reverse what he did to you. All you have to do is trust us. You trust me, don't you?"

Laurence closed his eyes. She smiled.

"I knew you would understand."

His hand unexpectedly shot out, slapping her right cheek. The strength in his attack flung her across the room. She gasped when her back hit against a wall, and she slowly slid down it. When she came to a rest on the ground, her body fell forward so she was face down.

Casey made to go towards her when Laurence picked her up and held her above his head. Her limbs dangled like a puppet's. Lifeless.

Undeterred, Casey continued walking towards her.

"Nuh uh uh," smirked Warumagi, waggling his finger. "Take another step and I'll tell it to finish her off permanently. Now get back."

Deterred, Casey reluctantly rejoined the others, though his fists remained in front of him.

Warumagi beamed. "Excellent. Now, I'll give _you _two options. You can try and save your friend, but then I'll tell my slave to kill her. After that, I will choose another one of you to die. I have a few dozen Human Hybrids stationed around the school. You won't be able to take them all down."

"But we took dem down earlier!" exclaimed Casey.

"There's about one hundred of them in total," Katrina alerted him. "I doubt you got them all."

"Or…" Warumagi's eyes glittered. "You give me Leonardo and I will give her back to you. No matter which you choose, I win and you lose. The world will be mine. So… what's it going to be?"

"We don't have a choice, do we?" Leo sighed. "Okay… you win. Just don't hurt her."

"What are you doing?" asked April, her voice rising as he went towards him. "You… you can't just go to him! You're giving him what he wants!"

"April, what else can I do? He'll get me either way. At least this way, she won't get any more wounded."

Leo walked away from them and stood in front of one of the computers. Warumagi grinned, striding over to him. He pressed a few buttons on the interface behind Leo, causing a bubble to appear around the pair. Leo pressed his hand against it and found that he couldn't pass through it.

As promised, Laurence released Foxglove. She fell to the ground and lay face down, breathing slowly.

Warumagi got out a small device and pressed the button on it. A siren sounded, screaming into the ears of everyone in the room.

"What's happening?" asked Katrina loudly, pulling a face.

"You see that pool there?" Warumagi said, pointing at it. "Well… there's a bomb in it. When the bomb goes off, it will cause the solution to go everywhere. The heat created from the reaction will also let off a toxic gas. It will fill the entire building. The liquid and the gas will be absorbed by all of you. As the concentration will be so high, it won't mutate you… it will kill you! The bubble I'm in will prevent me and Leonardo from absorbing anything harmful. This plan is flawless. You must be bowled over by my superior intelligence."

"Yeah." Mikey nodded. "I'm as bowled over as your head."

"What?"

"You know… bowled… bald… like your head!" Mikey chuckled, slapping his thigh. "'Cos, you know, you don't have any hair."

"How humorous," said Warumagi dryly.

"Mikey, that was pretty bad," remarked April.

"Okay…" Mikey held up his hands. "How about… I was so bowled over by your plan, like your head, that I nearly… bawled!"

Warumagi narrowed his eyes. "You're lucky I'm in this bubble, you incompetent moron. The only thing that stops me from getting out is the fact that in five minutes, you will be a corpse on the ground."

"You know how cool your plan is?" continued Mikey. "It's so cool I have to turn away from it, as its coolness is burning my eyes. So I'll turn away… on the _ball_ of my foot!"

"Be quiet!" commanded Warumagi, his voice barely audible over Mikey's shrill laughter. "Just… just shut up, you idiot!"

"Oh, that was very… bold of you!" Mikey spluttered, doubling over. "Do you know how you like, emphasize things on the computer? You make the font **bold**."

"Shut up!"

"Like your head!"

"You don't have any hair either."

"Whoa…" Mikey placed his hands onto his head. "You're right… I am bald."

"Is there any way to turn off the bomb?" asked April inquisitively.

"No, I made sure of that," Warumagi told her proudly. "Once it's activated, the only way to turn it off is to go into the pool and destroy it that way."

"You'd have to be very bold to do that," Mikey commented.

Warumagi groaned, frustrated, before turning away and widening his eyes. While he had been distracted by Mikey, Leo had been doing something to the machine. There was a whirring sound, and the bubble disappeared.

"What?" shouted Warumagi, staring at the green pool in horror. "What… how… how did you do that?"

"Quite easily." Leo grinned. "While you were discussing bad puns with my brother, I was able to examine the machine and turn it off. It's not a very complicated machine, I must say. Now…" He got out a katana. "Assuming that the computer is not attached to the bomb, but merely sent the signal that started the countdown to it detonating, by doing this-" He stabbed the computer, causing smoke to come out of it. "-there is no way to create a new bubble. The only way to save yourself is to press the button on your device or manually defuse the bomb by going into the pool. Which I wouldn't recommend doing, because that solution is very detrimental."

"You're not Leonardo…" Warumagi said, his face paling.

'Leo' smiled. "Nope. Now, whoever is in the proximity will be within the bomb's range unless you choose to-"

"Including you!" Warumagi guffawed, throwing the device onto the ground and stamping on it. "You have to go in to stop it or else you'll be affected by the radiation!"

"Ah. About that." 'Leo' reached into his belt and revealed the teleporter. "Not with this, I will be. This is our plan B."

He pressed it and a portal appeared. He gestured towards it. "Come on, Warumagi."

The Lord blinked. "What?"

"It wouldn't be right to leave you," he explained. "You've still got a chance. If you come with us, you can live."

Warumagi crossed his arms. "I would rather die with my life's work."

"But…"

"But nothing!" Warumagi snarled. "That bomb will go off very soon! Unless you're too idiotic to notice, you will all die if you don't leave."

Raph stepped towards him. "You crazy-"

"One minute until the entire building is filled with radiation!" Warumagi bellowed, throwing up his arms. "If you want to live, I suggest you go. I'll finally be punished for what I did to Melissa."

"We can find an antidote for her," Katrina told him, cupping her hands together. She looked like she was praying. "Please… you don't have to do this."

His eyes darkened. "Melissa is dead." He looked down. "… She's been dead for… a long time."

The confession rolled off his tongue and dripped onto the floor. The emotion he was feeling was not unlike the one Raph had felt when he had admitted what had happened to Blossom.

"Now go. Please. I… I just want to be with her again."

Dumbfounded, everyone stared at him.

"If you want to live… go. Now. I've made my choice. I can't stop you from going, so…"

He turned away from them. He didn't hear them move, so he looked at his watch and began to count.

"Ten… Nine…"

The portal began to fade away.

The possibility of death brought everyone back to attention. Seeing that he wasn't going to be dissuaded, they made their way through the portal. Splinter hesitated before he went in, gazing at Warumagi. The certainty in the headmaster's eyes rendered whatever words the rat could say useless, so he remained silent and walked into the doorway.

Katrina was the last to go in. She paused before she left, turning her head to get one last look at what she was leaving behind. The Lord picked something up and put it into her hands. He looked into her eyes and they shared unsaid words.

He continued, "Six… Five…"

"Goodbye," she whispered, going into the portal. As soon as her last hair was gone, the doorway vanished from sight.

Warumagi stopped counting out loud. He looked at the shadowy corner of the room, where his wife's corpse resided. He listened to the machine she was in hum, growling like a wild animal. "Soon, we will be together again."

Three…

Two…

One-


	26. New Beginnings

Raphael's body rammed into the ground. He coughed, spitting out gravel. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to run through the portal. Groggily, he raised his head to see where he was.

It was daytime but he was at the end of an alleyway, hiding him from the judgemental eyes of the citizens that dominated the Earth's surface. He was beginning to take in his surroundings when something grabbed hold of his arms and pulled him to his feet. Without thinking, he elbowed whoever was holding him.

"Ow!" Casey let go of the turtle. Raph stumbled forward, nearly falling over again. "What's your problem? I was only tryin' to help ya."

"I didn't ask," Raph snapped, the previous events breaking down the wall of numbness in his brain and flooding it. His head turned in all directions as he checked to see who was with them.

Leonardo and Donatello were giving each other their masks back, talking about how well their idea went. A few feet away, April was trying to calm Foxglove down, who was angrily complaining about something. Ignoring Michelangelo and Master Splinter, Raph listened to her.

"We have to go back! Katrina didn't come back!"

Raph's blood turned to ice. He staggered towards the fading doorway. When Leo and Mikey caught hold of his arms, he struggled frantically to break free. Thankfully, after a few seconds, Katrina came out of the portal. She looked confused.

"Kitty!" Raph shouted, escaping the grip of his distracted brothers. He grinned down at her, his icy blood melting. "Yer alive! What took ya?"

She held up a small flask of purple liquid. "He... He gave this to me."

His grin faded noticeably. "What is it supposed ta be?"

She shrugged, allowing Don to take it out of her hands and study it. Mikey went around Raph and stood next to him, narrowing his eyes.

"It looks like blackcurrant juice," Mikey commented.

"Hm," Don said absently, gently shaking it. He leaned towards it, his face nearly touching it. "I'm not sure what it is either."

April went to Don's Mikey-free side, lowering her eyebrows. After a moment's thought, she looked at Katrina. "Did he say anything when he gave it to you?"

"No."

"Hm..." April's eyes drifted back to it.

Splinter's tail swayed from side to side as he approached his purple masked son, a thoughtful expression on his face. "If we cannot figure out what it is, perhaps we can figure out why he would wish to give it to us."

"How about so he could kill us?" Foxglove suggested coldly. "He is a cold-hearted murderer."

Splinter didn't comment on her tone of voice. "I don't think so."

"What, he's not a cold-hearted murderer?" she snorted, rolling her eyes. His sons narrowed their eyes at her but she took no notice. "He was mad and evil."

"I wouldn't disagree with the first part," Leo said calmly, "but I'm not sure he was evil as such."

She stared at him, sneering.

"Leo's right," Don butted in. "I mean, yes, he tried to kill us and take over the world... I don't deny those are immoral acts, but I don't think he was an evil person."

Foxglove clearly didn't enjoy being ganged up on. She crossed her arms, turning away from them. "I must have misjudged you. If he was evil, why did you stop him?"

"Because he was trying to harm innocent people," started April, but Foxglove cut in before she continued.

"What the heck? He's not evil, yet he did something you disagreed with which was evil... you guys make no sense."

Splinter's whiskers twitched and he turned to face her. She found herself looking into his eyes. The first thing she thought of was the sea. They looked like they had existed for a long time, and while they were calm and gentle, they could easily change into a cold stranger. She was unfazed.

"He didn't do those things because he was evil but because he thought what he was doing was right. We know they were not, but he didn't. However, we could not allow him to harm others that didn't have anything to do with this."

"So he was like a misguided toddler," she said icily, obviously not agreeing with him at all. "You're justifying every villain that was ever created."

"He was not doing it for his own benefit. He was not trying to gain anything but his family and what he believed was justice."

"Hmph. Whatever."

"Don't talk to my master like dat," Raph spat.

Foxglove's eyes darkened. She rounded on him instead, prodding his plastron. "What, you're going to make me?"

"Yeah," he retorted. "I will if I have to. Ya have no reason to be such a bi-"

"He killed the school!" Foxglove burst out. "He killed everyone I grew up with. They were family to me. How would you feel if someone killed everyone you cared about?"

Seeing the tears in her eyes, he remained silent. April dared to go next to her and put an arm around her heaving shoulders.

"Fang, Charles, Laurence..." Her crying suddenly worsened, the lemur hybrid at the front of her mind... grinning sheepishly... following her around and becoming all shy when he was alone with her... "Blossom..."

Raph flinched.

"Wol, Robin, Silver, Squee, King..."

"No."

Everyone turned their heads towards the source of the voice. Raph's face was pale, but his amber eyes were brightening with a small slither of hope.

"Foxglove." He knocked April's arm off her and put his hands on her shoulders. She became silent, her eyes sparkling. "Take me to the school grounds."

"I... I don't have the teleporter."

"I do," Don said, showing it to Raph.

"I can." Katrina nodded, taking the teleporter. "But why?"

"I need dat." Raph snatched the flask out of Don's hands. His heart was beating rapidly. "Take me there. Now."

"You're in no condition to go anywhere," Leo retorted, gesturing towards Raph's shaking legs. "You need to rest."

"Leonardo is right," Splinter agreed in a 'that's that' tone of voice. "You are injured. Another trip would be foolish."

"Katrina..." Raph stared hard at her. She gulped, a sense of righteousness washing over her body. She inputted the required coordinates into the device.

"What are you doing?" exclaimed Leo, trying to take it from her. She jumped out of the way, surprising Leo with her reflexes. She handed it to Raph, who activated it immediately.

As soon as the gateway opened, he ran through. Katrina followed him straight away.

The others all turned to Leo, who was watching Splinter's face. Clearly, the old rat was not impressed.

"We must go after him."

Rushing in before it closed, they found themselves near a tree and a lake. Splinter caught sight of his son and the girl instantly. They were... heading towards the school?

"Raphael!" Splinter barked, sprinting after them. He caught sight of something and came to a stop.

There was someone else there... large and alive.

It was a large, green, turtle monster. As soon as Don saw it, his feet refused to move any closer. The others hesitated, reminded of a certain time when Don had been a creature similar to it. Raph was on its back, trying to stick his arm into its mouth.

"Have you lost your mind?" shrieked April, watching the creature jerk its head back and into Raph's face.

"He had one before?" asked Casey, getting out a baseball bat and joining the brawl. "Yo! Leave my friend alone!"

"I need," Raph gritted his teeth, ignoring the level of lactic acid in his body that was rising as each second passed, "ya to open her mouth..."

Casey gave Raph a funny look, but he could tell that his angry little friend was serious. He sighed, swinging his weapon at its face.

"Can someone tell me what's going on?" Mikey piped up as Casey landed a hit on its jaw. The creature howled in pain before choking as Raph poured the purple concoction into its open mouth.

The creature's body shuddered violently, breaking Raph's vice grip of it and throwing him to the ground. He sat up slightly, breathing deeply. Its eyes were rolling into head, and it was screeching like a cat being ran over by a truck. It ducked its head, large tears rolling down its lumpy face.

It seemed to go on for a lifetime before it began to shrink. Its colour and texture flaked off, revealing smooth ivory skin. Its spasms didn't cease until all that was left of it was a skinny red-headed girl, lying on her front naked, and a disgusting green mess.

"Can someone tell me what's going on?" repeated Mikey, freaked out. "Why is there a naked chick?"

Raph crawled over to her. He grabbed hold of her wrist clumsily, finding a faint pulse. He smiled stupidly up at the others. Then, he fell unconscious, sprawled on top of her.

TMNTNMT

Blossom's chest rose and fell steadily. The infirmary had gotten crowded, so Splinter had dismissed everyone except himself, April, Don and Raph. Leo had been displeased with this decision, wanting to find out about the girl, but hadn't wanted to go against his father's demands. Foxglove was somewhere in the living room, sobbing faintly in the background. The others were waiting outside the door, listening in nosily.

Raph was sitting next to Blossom's head, staring at her. Staring at her like he thought she would disappear if he took her eyes off her. He stayed still as Splinter interrogated him.

"Raphael, why did you not tell us you were going back for her?"

_Because I wanted to make sure she was there first. I didn't want to go back, saying she might be alive, only to find her dead._

"Who is she? What is her name?"

_Blossom._

"Answer me, my son."

_..._

Splinter gave up, seeing that his son needed to be left alone for a while. Out of the corner of his eye, Don was talking to April.

"It must have been an antidote. It must have separated them. Warumagi may have been out of his mind, but he was very intelligent. If only Raph hadn't used it all..."

April nodded, walking over to Raph and resting a hand on his shoulder. She bent her legs, staring at his grave face. "She must have meant a lot to you, huh."

Raph inclined his head very slightly. April nodded again, looking at her as well. If Raph had let his focus spread, he would have noticed Don's very anxious face.

"Me and Don were talking and... we don't know how much she'll remember when she wakes up."

He didn't react.

"For... for all we know," April hated herself right then, "she might not remember anything."

It took Raph a couple of seconds to interpret this. His head twitched again.

"When she wakes up, you'll have to leave. She... she might react badly to you."

"A'ight."

April fiddled with her fingers, averting her gaze. It was like Raph was a bomb, and she didn't know when he'd go off.

"You can stay for now!" She coughed, lowering her voice. "But when she begins to wake up..."

"A'ight."

"Okay then."

And that was that.

TMNTNMT

"So this is New York?" Blossom said excitedly, clasping her hands together and resting them on her chest. Her eyes glittered like the windows of the many buildings surrounding them. The sky was dark with pollution and the lack of the Sun, highlighting every individual light. Murky figures walked past them, not giving the pair a second glance.

Blossom turned to the person next to her. He was wearing a large coat and a floppy hat. He looked ever so peculiar, but she was too polite to tell him this.

"Where are we going?"

"To yer new home," he replied gruffly.

Blossom narrowed her eyes at his unfriendly exterior and stuffed her hands into her jeans' pockets. They were done up with a belt as they were too big. All her clothes were too big. She distracted herself by studying every building they went past, twirling occasionally.

"You're quiet," she commented finally.

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Ain't got nothin' to say."

"That's a double negative, so it cancels out, so you're saying you have got something to say."

"Sure."

Blossom sighed. She smiled jokingly at him. "Can't I live with you guys?"

There was a loud silence, which was followed by his quiet response. "No."

"I wouldn't want to live there anyway. It smells." She laughed before realizing what she had said. "Oops, I forgot you live there."

"I don't care."

Blossom brushed a strand of red hair out of her eyes and tucked it behind her ear. She studied his face curiously. "You look down. Are you all right?"

"Yeah."

She narrowed her eyes. "Nope, there's something bothering you. I can tell."

"We're here."

Behind the fence they were now next to, the local orphanage stood. They approached the gate, stopping outside of it.

"Well, it was nice knowing you." Blossom furrowed her brow. "I didn't catch your name."

"Raphael."

For a brief moment, it looked like she remembered him.

"Oh yes, Ms. O'Neil mentioned you a bit after I woke up." She kissed his cheek. "Bye!"

Raph watched open the gate and run towards the orphanage building. With a heavy heart, he returned to the manhole they had come out of. At the bottom of the ladder leading to the sewers were the others.

"Is she...?" April couldn't finish her sentence.

"Yep." Raph breathed out loudly, trying to make out that it was no big deal. "Gone. She can get herself a new family. She can have a proper life."

"Speaking of which..." Leo turned to Katrina and Foxglove. Foxglove was in her human form, wearing clothes that April had given her. Her transformation to her human form had surprised them, to say the least, especially when she did it without warning any of them except April (so she could borrow some clothes) in advance. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yes," Foxglove reassured him for the seventh time. "We'll be fine."

"'You can both stay here if you want," Mikey told her. "You could share my room- ow!"

All three brothers and Splinter removed their hands from his head.

"I... um, appreciate the offer, but no thanks," Katrina said, blushing. "I have lived a life of rules, restriction and commands. I want to... live free. I was created to serve Lord Warumagi, and I have done so. I must find a new purpose."

"And I want to see the world," Foxglove added, her eyes glittering. "I've seen New York... but what about Paris? London?" Her eyes shone. "... Las Vegas."

"Be careful," Raph growled, his throat tight, "and don't do anythin' stupid."

Foxglove beamed, taking out a pair of sunglasses and putting them on. "See ya."

The pair of them climbed up the ladder and went through the manhole, hearing their new friends' parting words.

"Farewell, the pair of you."

"Yeah, bye!"

"You're welcome to visit my store any time you're in the neighbourhood!"

"Yo! Make sure ya visit."

"Good luck with your travels."

"Call me!"

When they had left, Casey got Raph in a headlock. "So, yer gonna tell us what's happened all this time or not?"

Raph nodded, his spirits rising... not reaching the top, but getting there. "Lemme go and I'll tell y'all on the way."

They all walked towards the lair, their black silhouettes blending in with the darkness at the end of the tunnel. "So, I went out on patrol when I saw a gang of Purple Dragons. I didn't know what they were doin', but it had to be bad..."

They rounded the corner...

And disappeared from sight.

TMNTNMT

The school grounds were different and the same.

The building was still there. The fields, trees and lake remained exactly like before.

But the liveliness of the place was gone. It had been dead for a few weeks...

... Until now, that is.

A helicopter was situated there, humming gently as its pilot waited for someone to return. In the distance, a woman was facing the school, her black cloak hanging limply in the still air.

She curled her lip. "It looks like Mr Warumagi has come to a premature end... what a pity. His knowledge has been most useful."

Her cell phone began to ring. She took it out of her pocket and answered it, irritated. "Yes?"

"Master." It was one of her high ranking ninjas. "We need your presence here immediately."

"Is it the turtles?" she asked automatically. "Have they plagued my tower once more?"

"We need your presence here immediately."

"I am your master and you will obey me. What is conspiring there?"

They lost connection.

Suddenly, a cold gust of wind blew, even though it was summer. She ignored it and headed towards the helicopter, unaware of what was in store for her.

* * *

**The end. :) This chapter and the last one were definitely the hardest to write. Now, for some random fun, here are some changes that happened while I wrote this, as well as some random facts:**

**SPOILERS! XD  
**

**o Laurence was not planned. He was originally going to appear only in the first chapter he was mentioned in, but I changed my mind.  
o Blossom was not Warumagi's daughter. However, I thought it would make an interesting plot twist.****  
o Each Human Hybrid had a special ability. Foxglove's one was mind-reading, but after the first few chapters, I figured she didn't need it. However, Fang's sense of smell and Charles' camouflaging ability remained in the story. Blossom's ability was to sense emotions, which she could do anyway. ;)****  
o Katrina was a student. Not a Human Hybrid, but a student. I changed that.  
o A lot of the characters' names have something to do with what they are.  
o One of the students are called Mona. Mona Lisa...?  
o I like nachos.**

**I hope you had a nice time reading this. If you would be so kind as to review and let me know your thoughts about this, I would be very happy.**

**While I'm (re)writing stuff, I'll be around reading things.**


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